How Nadal Managed To Be The King Of Clay?

Tennis is a sport that is loved by many, and has fans from all over the world. Like any other sport, tennis has its own stars and superstars, and Rafael Nadal is one of these superstars. 

Who is Nadal? 

Rafael Nadal was born on 3 June 1986. He is a professional tennis player from Spain who is at the moment ranked as world No.3 in singles. He has also previously been ranked as world No.1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals for a period of 209 weeks. Nadal has also for five times in total finished as the year-end No. 1. He turned pro in 2001 at the age of 15. 

Although he was born right handed, Rafael Nadal style of play is left-handed and two-handed backhand. His main strength is his forehand which he usually hits very heavy topspin at tight angles. 

His other achievements include winning an all-time record of 22 Grand Slams in men’s singles, 14 of which were at the French Open. 

He has also won 92 ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) singles titles, which includes 36 Masters Titles. 63 of his wins were on a clay court. 

Nadal is also one of two men to ever complete the Career Golden Slam in men’s singles. The other man is Andre Agassi. A Career Golden Slam is achieved by a player who wins the four Grand Slams and an Olympic or Paralympic gold medal at any point of their careers. 

He has also been able to set a record for the longest single-surface win streak in the Open 

Era by winning 81 consecutive times on clay. 

What are different types of tennis courts? 

Depending on their construction, there are four types of tennis courts which includes; 

• Hard tennis courts 
• Clay tennis courts 
• Grass tennis courts 

• Synthetic tennis courts. 

Each one of these courts has its own advantages and disadvantages. 

What is a clay tennis court? 

Clay courts come in two variants, 

• Red clay court which is made of crushed bricks. 
• Green clay court which is made of crushed metabasalt. 

The French Open is the only tournament in the Grand Slam where matches are played on clay. 

Which style is best for clay courts? 

Players with a defensive style of play have an advantage in clay courts. The players are also able to throw off their opponents by using topspin. This is the tactic that Nadal uses to dominate on clay. 

What are the advantages of clay courts? 

The advantages of clay courts are; 

• The ball leaves an impression as it bounces, which can be used to determine whether a shot made was in or out. 

• Clay is able to absorb more shock, which makes it easier for the human body. 
• Players can slide into positions rather than using full movements. This helps them conserve their energy. 

What are the disadvantages of clay courts? 

• The court needs constant wetting. 
• The surfaces always need renewing if they dry out. 
• Clay builds up on players shoes and can hinder smooth movements. 

Why is Nadal king of clay? 

Nadal has been able to win the French Open, which is played on clay, for a record total of 14 times. 

He has also won 81 consecutive matches on clay. 

In which years has Nadal won the French Open? 

• 2005 against Mariano Puerta with a score of 6–7, 6–3, 6–1, 7–5 
• 2006 against Roger Federer with a score of 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6 

• 2007 against Roger Federer with a score of 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 
• 2008 against Roger Federer with a score of 6–1, 6–3, 6–0 
• 2010 against Robin Söderling with a score of 6–4, 6–2, 6–4 
• 2011 against Roger Federer with a score of 7–5, 7–6, 5–7, 6–1 
• 2012 against Novak Djokovic with a score of 6–4, 6–3, 2–6, 7–5 

• 2013 against David Ferrer with a score of 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 
• 2014 against Novak Djokovic with a score of 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–4 
• 2017 against Stan Wawrinka with a score of 6–2, 6–3, 6–1 
• 2018 against Dominic Thiem with a score of 6–4, 6–3, 6–2 
• 2019 against Dominic Thiem with a score of 6–3, 5–7, 6–1, 6–1 

• 2020 against Novak Djokovic with a score of 6–0, 6–2, 7–5 
• 2022 against Casper Ruud with a score of 6–3, 6–3, 6–0 

In which 81 matches did Nadal consecutively win on Clay? 

Nadal’s 81 match winning streak on clay began in April 2005 at the Monte-Carlo Masters and ended in May 2007 at the German Open. 

Monte-Carlo Masters 

On 11^th April 2005, Nadal began what was going to be a very long win streak on clay. 

His wins were as follows; 

1. First round against Gaël Monfils. 

2. Second round against Xavier Malisse. 

3. Third round against Olivier Rochus. 

4. Quarter finals against Gastón Gaudio. 

5. Semifinals against Richard Gasquet. 

6. Finals against Guillermo Coria. 

Barcelona Open 

On 18^th April 2005 at the 500 Series, he continued his winning streak against the following opponents after automatically qualifying in the first round; 

7. Second round against Gilles Müller. 

8. Third round against Dominik Herbatý. 

9. Quarter finals against Agustín Calleri. 

10.  Semifinals against Radek Štěpánek. 

11.  Finals against Juan Carlos Ferrero. 

Italian Open 

On 2^nd May 2005 at the Masters, he won as follows; 

12. First round against Mikhail Youzhny. 

13. Second round against Victor Hănescu. 

14. Third round against Guillermo Cañas. 

15. Quarter finals against Radek Štěpánek. 

16. Semifinals against David Ferrer. 

17. Finals against Guillermo Coria. 

French Open 

On 23^rd May 2005, Nadal continued winning; 

18. First round against Lars Burgsmüller. 

19. Second round against Xavier Malisse. 

20. Third round against Richard Gasquet. 

21. Fourth round against Sébastien Grosjean. 

22. Quarter finals against David Ferrer. 

23. Semifinals against Roger Federer. 

24. Finals against Mariano Puerta. 

Swedish Open 

At the Swedish Open, for the 250 series on 4^th July 2005, He won his matches as follows; 

25. First round against Juan Mónaco. 

26. Second round against Alberto Martín. 

27. Quarter finals against Juan Carlos Ferrero. 

28. Semifinals against Tommy Robredo. 

29. Finals against Tomáš Berdych. 

Stuttgart Open 

On 18^th July 2005 he automatically qualified the first round and went on to win the next rounds as follows; 

30. Second round against Hugo Armando. 

31. Third round against Fernando Verdasco. 

32. Quarter finals against Tomáš Zíb. 

33. Semifinals against Jarkko Nieminen. 

34. Finals against Gastón Gaudio. 

Italy vs Spain WG PO 

On 23^rd September 2005 for the Davis Cup, Nadal won as follows; 

35. Round robin against Daniele Bracciali. 

36. Round robin against Andreas Seppi. 

Monte-Carlo Masters 

On 14^th April 2006, He won again as follows; 

37. First round against Arnaud Clément. 

38. Second round against Jean-Rene Lisnard. 

39. Third round against Kristof Vliegen. 

40. Quarter finals against Guillermo Coria. 

41. Semifinals against Gastón Gaudio. 

42. Finals against Roger Federer. 

Barcelona Open 

On 24^th April 2006 at the 500 series he won other matches after automatically qualifying first round; 

43. Second round against Feliciano López. 

44. Third round against Iván Navarro. 

45. Quarter finals against Jarkko Nieminen. 

46. Semifinals against Nicolás Almagro. 

47. Finals against Tommy Robredo. 

Italian Open 

On 8^th May 2005 Nadal had the following wins at the Masters; 

48. First round against Carlos Moya. 

49.  Second round against Filippo Volandri. 

50. Third round against Tim Henman. 

51. Quarter finals against Fernando González. 

52. Semifinals against Gaël Monfils. 

53.  Finals against Roger Federer. 

French Open 

On 29^th May 2006, Nadal won as follows; 

54. First round against Robin Söderling. 

55. Second round against Kevin Kim. 

56. Third round against Paul-Henri Mathieu. 

57. Fourth round against Lleyton Hewitt. 

58. Quarter finals against Novak Djokovic. 

59. Semifinals against Ivan Ljubičić. 

60. Finals against Roger Federer. 

Italy vs Spain WG PO 

On 22^nd September 2006, He won as follows; 

61. Round robin Andreas Seppi. 

62. Round robin Filippo Volandri. 

Monte-Carlo Masters 

On 15^th April 2007, He was able to win once again after automatically qualifying the first round; 

63. Second round against Juan Ignacio Chela. 

64. Third round against Kristof Vliegen. 

65.  Quarter finals against Philipp Kohlschreiber. 

66. Semifinals against Tomáš Berdych. 

67. Finals against Roger Federer. 

Barcelona Open 

On 23^rd April 2007 he automatically qualified the first round in the 500 series. He then won the rest of his other matches; 

68. Second round against Kristof Vliegen. 

69. Third round against Thomas Johansson. 

70.  Quarter finals against Potito Starace. 

71. Semifinals against David Ferrer. 

72. Finals against Guillermo Cañas. 

Italian Open 

On 7^th May 2007, after he automatically qualified the first round, he won his matches as follows; 

73. Second round against Daniele Bracciali. 

74. Third round against Mikhail Youzhny. 

75. Quarter finals against Novak Djokovic. 

76. Semifinals against Nikolay Davydenko. 

77.  Finals against Fernando González. 

German Open 

On 14^th May 2007, he automatically qualified the first round at the Masters and went ahead to win the following matches; 

78. Second round against Oscar Hernandez. 

79. Third round against Igor Andreev. 

80. Quarter finals against Fernando González. 

81.  Semifinals against Lleyton Hewitt. 

He however lost in the finals against Roger Federer.