7 youngest Masters 1000 winners on clay, featuring Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic
The claycourt season has witnessed a number of top players, mainly Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, win Masters 1000 titles. Many great players have graced the courts and ended up victorious at the Masters events in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome.
Last year Stefanos Tsitsipas won the Monte-Carlo Masters while Alexander Zverev won the Madrid Open. Nadal triumphed at the Italian Open by beating Djokovic in the final.
Tsitsipas successfully defended his title at Monte-Carlo earlier this season by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final. All eyes will now shift to Madrid and Rome, with Nadal and Djokovic expected to compete at both tournaments.
Over the years, we have seen a number of players win Masters titles on clay at a very young age. Let's take a look at the seven youngest Masters 1000 champions on clay.
#7 Novak Djokovic - 20 years and 346 days
The current World No. 1 has won a record 37 Masters 1000 titles, with 10 of those coming on clay. Djokovic's first Masters title on clay was at the Italian Open in 2008.
The Serb was seeded third in the competition and reached the semifinals following wins over Steve Darcis, Igor Andreev and Nicolas Almagro. Almagro was forced to retire during their quarter-final encounter, as was Djokovic's semi-final opponent, Radek Stepanek.
Up against Stan Wawrinka in the final, the Serb found himself trailing by a set. However, he bounced back to win the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and lift the Italian Open for the first time.
#6 Roger Federer - 20 years and 285 days
Roger Federer is arguably the greatest grasscourt player of all time, but his first Masters title came on clay. The Swiss entered the 2002 Hamburg Masters as the 11th seed and reached the quarterfinals following straight-sets wins over Nicolas Lapentti, Bohdan Ulihrach and Adrian Voinea.
He then beat second seed Gustavo Kuerten in three sets before defeating Max Mirnyi to reach the final against sixth seed Marat Safin. He beat the Russian 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 to win his first Masters title at the age of 20 years and 285 days.
#5 Roberto Carretero - 20 years and 247 days
Roberto Carretero is a relatively unknown name on the ATP tour. The Spaniard headed into the 1996 Hamburg Masters with few expectations. But he fought his way to the semifinals where he squared off against Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
Carretero beat the Russian in straight sets to make the final, where he found himself up against compatriot Alex Corretja. Corretja took the first set but Carretero stormed back to take the next three to win the match 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The victory would remain the solitary title of the Spaniard's career.
#4 Sergi Bruguera - 20 years and 102 days
Sergi Bruguera is a two-time Roland Garros champion but his first big title came at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 1991 when he was only 20 years old. The Spaniard was seeded ninth in the competition and had a shaky start, surviving a scare from Renzo Furlan in the opening round.
However, he reached the final of the tournament with straight-sets wins over Cristiano Caratti, Alberto Mancini, Magnus Gustafsson and Horst Skoff. Bruguera was up against second seed Boris Becker in the final and came from a set down to beat the German 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(6), 7-6(4) and win the Monte-Carlo Masters. He also won the competition in 1993.
#3 Alexander Zverev - 20 years and 25 days
Alexander Zverev entered the 2017 Italian Open as the 16th seed and reached the quarterfinals with wins over Kevin Anderson, Viktor Troicki and Fabio Fognini. The German beat fifth seed Milos Raonic 7-6(5), 6-1 to reach his first Masters 1000 semifinal. He then beat John Isner 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 to set up a title clash against Novak Djokovic.
Zverev beat the second seed 6-4, 6-3 to win his first Masters 1000 title at the age of 20 years and 25 days. He also became the first man from Germany to win the Italian Open.
On this day in 2017, a 20-year-old Alexander Zverev stunned Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the Italian Open.
The young German became first player born in the 1990s to win an ATP Masters 1000 title.
I remember so vividly. https://t.co/CQmNeaRkSV
#2 Andrei Medvedev - 19 years and 236 days
Andrei Medvedev won four Masters 1000 titles (known as the ATP Masters Series back then) during his career and all of those came on clay. His first Masters title came in Monte-Carlo in 1994 when he was only 19 years and 236 days old.
Seeded sixth in the competition, Medvedev reached the quarterfinals of the tournament and beat two-time Roland Garros champion Jim Courier 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(3). The Ukrainian beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the semifinals to set up a title clash against then-Roland Garros champion and fifth seed Sergi Bruguera.
Medvedev beat the Spaniard in straight sets to win the seventh ATP title of his career. The Russian would also go on to win the Hamburg Masters later that year.
#1 Rafael Nadal - 18 years and 318 days
The King of Clay started to dominate on his favorite surface in his late teens, so it's no surprise that he tops this list.
2005 was the year Nadal established himself as an elite player. After losing a thrilling final to Roger Federer at the Miami Open, the Spaniard entered the Monte-Carlo Masters as the 11th seed.
Nadal reached the quarterfinals with comprehensive victories over Gael Monfils, Xavier Malisse and Olivier Rochus. He then thrashed the reigning Roland Garros champion Gaston Gaudio 6-3, 6-0 to book his spot in the semifinals. Nadal beat Richard Gasquet after fighting back from a set down to book his spot in the final.
Up against sixth seed Guillermo Coria, Nadal looked unstoppable, winning in four sets to lift the first Masters title of his extraordinary career. Interestingly, Nadal is also the second-youngest Masters 1000 winner on clay, having won the Italian Open in 2005 as well.