John Clifton (born 19 February 1946) is a British former professional tennis player.

[4] Clifton became the first player to start a match and win a point in the open era of tennis when he played Owen Davidson in the first round of the British Hard Court Championships in Bournemouth played on 22 April 1968.

[5][6][7] With partner John Paish, Clifton was a doubles runner-up at Newport in 1971.

[1] Clifton played a tie for the Great Britain Davis Cup team in 1970, against Austria.

He took part in singles rubbers against Peter Pokorny and Hans Kary, but was unable to win either.