Rafael Nadal the greatest clay player
Last decade marked Spanish rule on the clay, thanks to impressive performances by Rafael Nadal who won five out of last six Roland Garros championships. Nadal has a pretty intense record on the clay court, holding a winning percentage of 92.1. The 165-14
record shows, how dominant he is on the clay. In the French Open final 2008, he had captured one of the most spectacular victories over his arch-rival Roger Federer and made him look no better than marginal all day long. Nadal’s 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 win, over the
supposed best in the tennis world, left the fans thinking how good a player he is on the dirt. His only loss at Roland Garros came in 2009 when he was downed by Swede Robin Soderling (the eventual runner-up) in the fourth round that allowed the Swiss superstar
to seal his first French Open title. Nadal went on to win the 2010 French Open, beating Robin Soderling in the final.
Nadal lost only four out of 143 matches he played since 2005, making him a strong contender for the greatest clay court champion of all time. He has record number of clay court titles to his name. It seems that the world number one has too many angles, too
much spin and the fire power on his favorite surface. The only man to match his strength and class on the dirt would be Bjorn Borg, the Swedish legend who had won record 30 clay court titles before retiring at the age of 26. His won-lost record is also similar
to that of Nadal.
Borg, who won the French Open title six times, was also defeated only twice at the prestigious tournament, both times by Adriano Panatta. These two great opponents consider them to be unstoppable on their favorite surface. “I can’t see how people win against
him,” an opponent to Borg once said after losing a game.
Verdasco and Ferrer, the two most successful players after Rafael Nadal on this surface, share similar views. “If he plays his best on clay, then it is impossible to beat him,” said Verdasco. But many officials and pundits already consider Nadal to be the
greatest clay court champion ever. With five French Open wins, he is just one short of Bjorn’s record of six wins.
Surprisingly, Uncle Toni (Nadal’s uncle and coach), does not think he is the greatest clay court champion ever. "I remember Borg, he was the best …. It was difficult to win a single point against him,” said Uncle Toni in an interview.
May be matching Bjorn’s record of six will make Nadal the best in his Uncle’s eyes. But many are willing to hand the crown right now. It should be highlighted that Nadal, nine times Grand Slam champion, has an impressive record on the grass and hard courts
also. Initially his serve was weak but a considerable improvement since 2005 has made him capable of competing with the best on faster surfaces. Roger Federer, world number two, who retained the world number one spot for the record period of time, always had
troubles against his arch-rival playing on the dirt. His problems were doubled when Nadal defeated him in a nail-biting finish in 2008 Wimbledon final (one of the greatest tennis matches). However, with the nine Grand Slam wins, the Spanish star still has
a lot of work to do to surpass Federer’s record 16 Grand Slam titles.
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