Edmond de Goncourt

With a classical serve-and-volley game and a demeanor of unflappable cool, Cliff Drysdale was a fixture in tennis's amateur-to-professional transition. The left-hander from Natal reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 1965 and was a US Championships finalist the same year, his crisp volleys and tactical intelligence marking him as a top contender. His most enduring impact, however, came off the court. In 1968, he was one of the eight players signed by promoter Lamar Hunt to form World Championship Tennis (WCT), a move that boldly established the first professional tennis tour and forced the sport's governing bodies to accept open competition. Later, his articulate, measured voice became synonymous with tennis broadcasting in America, where he served as ESPN's lead commentator for decades, guiding viewers through the sport's modern era.