3 reasons why a new tennis hero could emerge during the 2018 claycourt season

Rafael Nadal hitting a forehand on clay — Will Rafael Nadal dominate clay again, or will there be new contenders in the fray?

With just a fortnight left for the clay-court season to begin, there is an air of uncertainty about what to expect. That hasn't been the case at any time in the previous decade as King Rafael Nadal ruled the roost with pretty much no opposition, and Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer picked up titles whenever Nadal stumbled. But this year seems different.

Nadal is just coming back from injury, and the other known faces are also struggling with their own problems. All this uncertainty would not only make the challengers interested, but also keep the fans on their toes during the entire swing.

Here is a look at some of the reasons why a new hero could emerge during the clay-court season:

#1 Big 4 powers on the wane

Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — The Big 4 in happier times

Federer and Nadal dominated last year with the two of them splitting the four Majors, while Murray and Djokovic struggled with injuries. The fairytale has continued for Federer who reached the No. 1 ranking by by winning the 2018 Australian Open and putting together his best-ever start to a season.

But that's been just about it from the Big 4 lately. There was a slight hope that Federer would participate in the clay-court season, but he announced after his Miami exit that he would be joining fellow Big 4 player Murray in skipping the red dirt completely.

With Djokovic struggling to find his "A" game and Nadal coming back from injury, it is almost certain that there won't be any kind of Big 4 domination this year as seen during the previous decade on clay.