"Rafael Nadal grew up on clay, he’s the one" - Bjorn Borg sees shades of himself in 'unbelievable' Spaniard
Bjorn Borg recently shared his admiration for Rafael Nadal, stating that he sees similarities between himself and the Spaniard. Both Borg and the Spaniard grew up playing on clay courts, which the Swede believes has influenced their playing styles.
Borg is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, having won 11 singles Grand Slam titles and achieved the World No.1 ranking. He is also the only man to have won the Channel Slam (winning both the French Open and Wimbledon in a year) three times. Borg's dominance on clay is evident in his six French Open titles, including four consecutive wins from 1978 to 1981.
In comparison, Rafael Nadal has amassed an impressive 22 singles Grand Slam titles, with a record 14 of them coming on the clay courts at Roland Garros. His 81-match win streak on clay from 2005 to 2007 is also the longest on a single surface in the Open Era.
During a recent interview with The Athletic, Bjorn Borg was asked to name a modern player who reminds him of himself. In response, Borg pointed to Rafael Nadal and expressed that it was because both he and the Spaniard grew up playing on clay courts.
Borg also praised the 22-time Grand Slam champion's "unbelievable" and "fantastic" style of play on clay courts
"I grew up on clay. Nadal grew up on clay . He’s the one . To see him play on clay courts, it’s so fantastic . He’s unbelievable . I can relate to how he knows how to move players around the court," Bjorn Borg said.
"Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg are the two grand masters of clay" - Paul McNamee
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Earlier this year, on an episode of The AO Show podcast, Paul McNamee likened playing on clay to a game of chess. He then went on to name Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal as the "grand masters" of clay courts.
"Rafa and Bjorn Borg are far and away are the two grand masters, we can call them, of chess, because clay is chess at the end of the day. Hard court is draught, so they're different games. One is linear and one is angular. One has nuances, one does not. So, a clay court is a chess board," McNamee said.
McNamee also mentioned that following the Swede and the Spaniard, the next player in line to be a grandmaster on clay is Carlos Alcaraz.
"So, the grand masters are Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg. Next in line will be Carlos Alcaraz. I mean, he's that good, this guy, on clay, right. This guy is the real deal," McNamee added .
This year, Carlos Alcaraz won two Grand Slam titles. He won the French Open by defeating Alexander Zverev in the final and then defended his title at Wimbledon by defeating Novak Djokovic in the championship match.