North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Tennis Great John Sadri to be Inducted into Hall of Fame
3/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 4, 2004
Raleigh, N.C. - John Sadri played at a level that all NC State student-athletes should strive to reach. Sadri, who played at NC State from 1975-1978, left the court victorious 131 times- 86 singles and 45 doubles. The victories included two ACC singles and doubles championships as the number one seed. For his play on the court, Sadri will be inducted into the ITA Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame on May 26. The induction ceremonies will be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma in conjunction with the 2004 Men's Tennis NCAA Championship.
In his last two seasons, Sadri dominated opponents with a 55-4 singles record. Sadri became the Wolfpack's first All-American in 1977, advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA championship. He repeated as an All-American the following season and advanced to the finals at the NCAAs. There he fell in four sets to No. 1 seed John McEnroe of Stanford. Following college, Sadri competed professionally. His achievements include a spot in the 1979 Australian Open Finals, reaching the top 20 in the world rankings and appearing on several Davis Cup squads. He also appeared in the finals for doubles twice at the Australian Open, in 1981 and 1982.
The Match John Sadri vs. John McEnroe. Power vs. Finesse. No. 11 vs. No. 1. East Coast vs. West Coast. How ever you look at it, the 1978 NCAA singles championship is seen as one of the greatest college matches of all time. Heading into the match, McEnroe was the heavy favorite, being ranked 15th in the world and coming off a trip to the semi-finals at Wimbledon. However, he received a big scare. Sadri lost the four-hour epic battle in four sets 7-6, 7-6, 5-7, 7-6, but the match was even closer. McEnroe, who came in as the highest ranked player ever to compete in the NCAA championship, barely won the overall game total by one, 26-25, and only scored a single point more, 144-143. The difference was the tiebreakers where Sadri lost all three, 5-3. Sadri, the fan favorite, brought his power game smashing 24 aces.
