Why Rafael Nadal is the best clay court player to ever play tennis
Rafael Nadal is all set to bid farewell to tennis at the end of the season. In a video released by him on Thursday, October 11, he announced his decision to hang up his racquet for good. The Davis Cup Finals, which will take place in Spain from November 19-24, will be the final tournament of his career.
Since he burst onto the scene as a teenager, Nadal tasted immediate success. He backed up his status as a prodigy well into adulthood. Despite numerous setbacks throughout his career, he emerged stronger than ever time after time.
The Spaniard's tenacity fetched him 22 Major titles, Olympic gold in singles and doubles, 36 Masters titles, and was ranked No. 1 for 209 weeks. He is one of four men to complete a double career Grand Slam in singles. Despite his achievements across all surfaces, he has shined the brightest on the red dirt. So here's a brief look into why his achievements make him the King of Clay:
Rafael Nadal won the French Open on his debut as a teenager, an early indicator of his dominance on clay
Even though Nadal competed at the Majors since 2003, he didn't get a chance to participate in the French Open until 2005. He arrived in Paris that year in great form, having won the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Barcelona Open, and the Italian Open, three other tournaments he would dominate as well.
The Spaniard dropped only three sets en route to his maiden Major title, and the first of 14 at the venue. No other player established his supremacy at one tournament like Nadal did at the French Open. He ended his career with a 112-4 record at the venue and never went home empty-handed in a final.
He was the favorite to win on Court Philippe Chatrier even when he was far from his best. When he drew fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the first round this year, he was still considered a contender despite his shaky form. He put up a fight but lost the match, his first opening-round exit at the venue.
Following his first title at the French Open in 2005, Nadal remained unbeaten at the venue until he lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009. He would then win five titles on the trot starting in 2010 and tallied a 39-match winning streak.
Nadal is the only player to win a Major four times without dropping a set, surpassing the previous record of three titles set by Bjorn Borg. He romped to the title in Paris in 2008, 2010, 2017, and 2020 without conceding a set.
Aside from his insane run at the French Open, Nadal swept other big titles on the surface as well. He won the Monte-Carlo Masters 11 times, which included an eight-year reign that began in 2005 and lasted until he lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final.
The Spaniard was also at his best in front of his home crowd and claimed 12 titles at the Barcelona Open. While he only managed to secure five titles at the Madrid Open, that is a record in itself. He also hoisted the winner's trophy at the Italian Open on 10 occasions.
Nadal cleaned up all four big tournaments on clay - the French Open, and the three Masters, in one season as well, during his impressive 2010 campaign. He won at least three of those four tournaments on another seven occasions.
Prior to his dominance at these events, Guillermo Vilas held the record for most titles at a venue by a male player, with eight in Buenos Aires. Nadal first broke the record with his ninth title at the French Open and subsequently extended the record with his triumphs in Paris, and other venues as well.
Rafael Nadal has a whopping 90 percent win rate on clay
Nadal has wrapped up his career with a 484-51 record on clay, which translates to a 90 percent winning record on the surface. His 81-match winning streak on the red dirt from April 2005 until May 2007 set the pace for him to achieve this feat. This is the longest unbeaten run on one surface.
Such is the Spaniard's dominance on the surface that he lost consecutive matches on clay only once in his career. It happened just this year, in the twilight of his career. He bowed out in the second round of the Italian Open and then crashed out in the first round of the French Open.
Nadal has an unbelievable 63-9 record in clay court finals, which is impressive given his overall 92-39 record in championship matches. No other player has come close to matching his numbers on clay.
A host of records in tennis will be broken in the future, as is the nature of the sport. However, it is hard to see anyone coming close to what Nadal has achieved at the French Open, or at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Italian Open. A generational talent on clay, his status as the King of Clay shall remain unmatched.