H2H data updated: 2026-07-17 14:15 UTC

John Newcombe vs Cliff Drysdale H2H: 14-5

John Newcombe holds a 14–5 lead over Cliff Drysdale in their ATP head-to-head. Across 19 main-draw meetings, John Newcombe leads 6–3 on carpet and 5–1 on hard courts. Most recently, John Newcombe won the 1976 Palm Springs fourth round 6-2 7-6.

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John Newcombe
AUS Age 82 Right-Handed 183 cm / 6'0"
H2H
14 – 5
19 main draw meetings
Cliff Drysdale
RSA Age 85 Right-Handed 188 cm / 6'2"

H2H Match Log

DateTournamentCategoryRoundSurfaceWinnerScoreLoserMatch
Mar 26, 1976* Palm Springs ATP 250 R16 Hard John Newcombe #23 6-2 7-6 Cliff Drysdale #29 Match data
Oct 7, 1972* Alamo Wct ATP 250 F Carpet John Newcombe 6-1 6-1 7-5 Cliff Drysdale Match data
May 7, 1972* Las Vegas Wct ATP 250 F Hard John Newcombe 6-3 6-4 Cliff Drysdale Match data
May 4, 1972* Denver Wct ATP 250 R16 Carpet John Newcombe 6-3 6-7 7-5 Cliff Drysdale Match data
Mar 26, 1972* Hilton Head ATP 250 SF Clay John Newcombe 6-4 6-2 Cliff Drysdale Match data
Feb 11, 1972* Richmond Wct ATP 250 SF Carpet Cliff Drysdale 4-6 6-4 6-3 John Newcombe Match data
Aug 13, 1971* Boston Wct ATP 250 SF Hard Cliff Drysdale 6-3 1-6 5-7 6-4 6-4 John Newcombe Match data
Feb 14, 1971* Philadelphia Wct ATP 250 SF Carpet John Newcombe 3-6 2-6 6-1 6-4 7-6(4) Cliff Drysdale Match data
Aug 7, 1970* Louisville ATP 250 QF Hard John Newcombe 6-3 6-4 Cliff Drysdale Match data
Oct 15, 1968* East London Wct ATP 250 F Hard John Newcombe 10-6 Cliff Drysdale Match data
Oct 2, 1968 Johannesburg Wct ATP 250 BR Hard John Newcombe 6-3 3-6 6-1 Cliff Drysdale Match data
Aug 19, 1968* Hamburg ATP 250 F Clay John Newcombe 6-3 6-2 6-4 Cliff Drysdale Match data
Aug 12, 1968 Newport Wct ATP 250 RR Grass John Newcombe 16-21 21-19 21-17 Cliff Drysdale Match data
Jul 26, 1968* Gstaad ATP 250 SF Clay Cliff Drysdale 6-3 0-6 6-3 4-6 6-3 John Newcombe Match data
May 15, 1968* Buffalo Wct ATP 250 QF Carpet Cliff Drysdale 31-29 27-31 5-2 John Newcombe Match data
Apr 7, 1968* Bakersfield Wct ATP 250 F Carpet John Newcombe 31-12 31-22 Cliff Drysdale Match data
Feb 22, 1968* New Orleans Wct ATP 250 F Carpet Cliff Drysdale 31-28 John Newcombe Match data
Feb 1, 1968 Wct World Cup ATP 250 RR Carpet John Newcombe 31-30 25-31 5-2 Cliff Drysdale Match data
Jan 20, 1968 Sydney Wct ATP 250 RR Carpet John Newcombe 74-72 Cliff Drysdale Match data

* Estimated match date where the exact historical date is unavailable.

Career Comparison

Player Current Peak Pts Elo W L Win % GS 1000 Finals 500 250 Titles
John Newcombe #826 #1 0 2,201 556 224 71.3% 5 2 0 0 34 41
Cliff Drysdale #423 #13 0 2,134 402 253 61.4% 0 0 0 0 8 8

Career Progression by Age

Seasons are aligned by the age each player spent most of that calendar year. GS and Titles are cumulative career totals through that season.

Age John Newcombe Cliff Drysdale
YrW-LWin %RankEloGSTitles YrW-LWin %RankEloGSTitles
24 1968 70–37 65.4% — 1,819 0 8 — — — — — — —
25 1969 64–26 71.1% — 1,887 0 10 — — — — — — —
26 1970 65–23 73.9% — 2,031 1 14 — — — — — — —
27 1971 61–18 77.2% — 2,082 2 20 1968 53–37 58.9% — 1,675 0 3
28 1972 69–22 75.8% — 2,129 2 27 1969 33–20 62.3% — 1,782 0 3
29 1973 59–19 75.6% #2 2,052 4 31 1970 45–25 64.3% — 1,908 0 3
30 1974 87–16 84.5% #2 2,115 4 40 1971 76–29 72.4% — 1,997 0 6
31 1975 21–9 70.0% #20 2,004 5 41 1972 51–29 63.8% — 1,935 0 6
32 1976 21–17 55.3% #21 1,827 5 41 1973 31–23 57.4% #23 1,872 0 6
33 1977 5–6 45.5% #119 1,833 5 41 1974 27–13 67.5% #18 1,901 0 7
34 1978 30–25 54.5% #24 1,815 5 41 1975 32–20 61.5% #36 1,827 0 7
35 1979 4–3 57.1% #226 1,831 5 41 1976 17–13 56.7% #25 1,833 0 7
36 1980 0–2 0.0% — 1,799 5 41 1977 17–17 50.0% #27 1,870 0 7
37 1981 0–1 0.0% #594 1,792 5 41 1978 14–13 51.9% #47 1,862 0 8
38 — — — — — — — 1979 5–12 29.4% #217 1,710 0 8
39 — — — — — — — 1980 1–2 33.3% #423 1,707 0 8