Rafael Nadal's records overshadow claycourt legacies of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, suggests Casper Ruud
World No. 5 Casper Ruud recently suggested that Rafael Nadal's claycourt dominance tends to overshadow the legacies of his arch-rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on the surface.
Nadal, Djokovic and Federer have been ruling the sport for nearly two decades now. They have won a total of 66 Grand Slam singles titles between them.
Federer has been more dominant on grass, whereas Djokovic's best surface is widely considered to be hardcourt. Nadal, on the other hand, has a well-publicized love for clay, as 14 of his Grand Slam titles have come at the French Open.
Ruud stated in the latest episode of Eurosport's 'Ruud Talk' that Djokovic and Federer are the best claycourt players after Nadal, which he feels does not get enough attention due to the Spaniard's ground-breaking records on clay.
"Novak and Roger, they are probably the second-best ever claycourt players. It's just that it's never really talked about because Rafa has all these records, so it's tough," Ruud said.
The Norwegian then stated that while a player may have a chance against Nadal on grass, that is not the case on clay. Ruud feels there are very few people in the world who can match the Mallorcan's game on the red dirt.
"You feel like maybe if you play Rafa on grass or whatever, Rafa has obviously won Wimbledon twice, so he is really good on grass, but you feel like, you can at least go out there and smack some winners and make him uncomfortable," he said.
"On clay, you can't really do that because he has the time to set up his shots, he has the time to play good defence," he added. "If he's on it and he's playing well, there is really not much you can do, unless you are able to match his game, which very few people in the world can do on clay."
Rafael Nadal's 2023 clay swing debut pushed back with Monte-Carlo Masters withdrawal
Rafael Nadal will not be competing in the upcoming Monte-Carlo Masters, a tournament he has won a record 11 times.
Nadal announced the news on social media, explaining that he is still recovering from the hip injury sustained during the 2023 Australian Open. The Spaniard, however, expressed optimism about returning to the courts soon.
"Hi everyone, I'm still not ready to compete at the highest level. I will not be able to play in one of the most important tournaments of my career, Monte Carlo," he wrote.
"I am not yet in a position to play with the maximum guarantees and I continue my preparation process, hoping to return soon," he added further.
Hola a todos, aún no me encuentro preparado para competir al más alto nivel. No podré jugar en uno de los torneos más importantes de mi carrera, Monte Carlo. No estoy aún en condiciones de jugar con las máximas garantías y continúo mi proceso preparación, esperando volver pronto