Tennis legend Cliff Drysdale brings expertise to Utah

HEBER CITY — Hitting a tennis ball has always provided a refuge for legendary tennis player Cliff Drysdale.

Not only did he love competing in the sport, it also often saved him from the drudgery of homework.

"The one thing (my mom) allowed me to do was go hit tennis balls against the wall if I wanted to get out of home work for a bit," said Drysdale, who was at the Red Ledges' Cliff Drysdale Tennis School this weekend, teaching clinics at the tennis center he designed. The tennis center is part of the private recreational mountain community in the Heber Valley, which also boasts an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.

In addition to teaching clinics to children and adults on Friday, Drysdale squared off against Gov. Gary Herbert Saturday afternoon as officials unveiled the state-of-the art facility.

Drysdale, who won 35 singles and 24 doubles titles in his career, started playing tennis because both of his parents played at their local club in South Africa.

He didn't know it then, but his mother's decision to allow him to take a break from his studies by hitting the tennis ball against a wall would hone his abundant natural ability.

"The best advice I can give anyone trying to learn the game is to hit the ball against a wall," he said. "The game is about ball control and the way to learn that is to hit it a lot."

It did not take him long to fall completely for the game.

"I loved it because I was really good at it," he said smiling. "It was, 'There goes Drysdale. He's the tennis player.'"

And while he loved the fact that it set him apart from other boys, he also just loved the game. He did not, however, grow up dreaming about earning a living as a tennis player.

That's because when Drysdale started playing competitively, in the early 60s, there was no professional tour or prize money.

"There were no coaches," he said. "I could tell you almost unbelievable stories from back then."

Tennis players might get financial support from tournaments or sponsors, but they didn't get prize money until 1968 with the advent of Open Tennis.

"I never thought that I was going to make a living playing tennis," he said.. "It played because I really loved it; I really wanted to win."