At this year’s French Open, we will not see Rafael Nadal, who earned his nickname “The King of Clay” by winning 14 titles at Roland Garros.
As I was watching the first round of the French Open today, I started to wonder if any other players performed well before Nadal came along.
Bjorn Borg
Until Rafael Nadal entered the scene, the title of the best ever player on clay was held by the famous Swedish player Bjorn Borg.
What Rafa is today, Borg was in his time, although he was not as long-lived as Nadal. Borg turned professional in 1973 and retired for the first time in 1983 when he was only 26 years old.
During this period, Borg won the French Open six times, including four times in a row from 1978-1981. Borg also won Wimbledon an extraordinary five times in a row from 1976-1980.
Credit: SCANPIX SWEDEN
Borg returned to the ATP tour in 1991, but his return was not successful and he did not win a single match, so two years later he retired again. What is particularly interesting is that he has never been defeated in the finals at the French Open.
He made the finals six times and emerged victorious each time. Borg ended his career with a total of 11 grand slams won, and he had a particularly great rivalry with John McEnroe. Borg won 96% of his matches, with a record of 49-2. This is second to Rafael Nadal who, with a 112-3 record, has a 97% winning record.
On clay courts generally, Borg had a 245-39 record, giving him an 86.3% winning record on clay. , Borg, with 64 career tournament victories, won 32 titles on clay.
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is another player for whom the French Open was his favorite tournament. The man who once coached Andy Murray and helped him reach #1 in the world was a three-time champion in Paris. Lendl reached the finals at Roland Garros 4 times in a row, between 1984-1987. He won three times, in 1984, 1986 and 1987.
During his career, Lendl won 28 titles on clay courts, with an impressive 81% win ratio. Lendl was recognizable for his great forehand and was nicknamed “The Terminator.” During his career, he played for both Czechoslovakia and the United States.
He was ranked #1 in the world for 270 weeks and won eight grand slams, including twice at the Australian Open, three times at the French Open and three times in a row at the U.S. Open.
He also made it to the finals in nine other Grand Slams, and he lost in each of them. Especially memorable is the final at the 1984 French Open when Lendl came back from a two-set deficit against his great rival John McEnroe to win his first Grand Slam (3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5).
Mats Wilander
The list of the most successful players ever on clay includes another Swede and former #1 player, Mats Wilander. Like Lendl, Mats was also a three-time French Open champion.
He won most of his titles on clay, where he won over 76% of his matches. Out of a total of 33 titles he won on the ATP tour, 20 of them were on clay.
In total, Wilander won seven Grand Slam titles. Perhaps Wilander’s most famous win came when he won the 1982 French Open at just 17-years-old and as an unseeded player.
In the final, he defeated the famous Argentinian player, Guillermo Vilas 1-6, 7-6, 6-0, 6-4. At 4 hours and 42 minutes long, this is the longest final in the history of the French Open.
Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten is considered the best Brazilian player in the history of tennis. Given that South Americans grow up playing on clay courts, it is not surprising that the French Open was one of his favorite tournaments.
Although his career did not last long, he won three titles at Roland Garros, in 1997, 2000 and 2001. during the period when he was at the peak of his form.
These are his only Grand Slam titles since he failed to reach the quarterfinals in other tournaments. Kuerten is effectively the last player to dominate the French Open before Nadal came along four years later and won his first title in 2005.
Kuerten is known for winning the French Open in 1997 when he was only ranked #66 in the world. He defeated Sergi Bruguera in a final with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Kuerten also made history in this match by becoming the first Brazilian player ever to win a Grand Slam. On clay, he had 70% win rate, and out of 20 career singles titles, he won 14 on clay.
Who Are The Leading Women on Clay?
Chris Evert
Chris Evert is known as the greatest woman to ever play on clay. She won the French Open seven times, along with winning the Australian Open twice, Wimbledon three times and the U.S. Open six times. Perhaps even more extraordinary, between 1973-1979, Evert won 125 matches in a row on clay.
She had an incredible 94.55% win rate on clay, with a record of 382-22.
Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf was great on all surfaces, including on clay. At Roland Garros, she won six titles. Graf made history because in 1988 when she became the first tennis player to win all four Grand Slam tournaments and the gold medal at the Olympic Games in a single year. This is known as a “Golden Slam.”
That year, Steffi became the champion at the French Open by defeatingt Natasha Zvereva, 6-0, 6-0 in the final. The final lasted only 34 minutes, which is a record for the shortest Grand Slam final and it is the only time that a player did not win a single game in a Grand Slam final.
Justin Henin
Justine Henin, of Belgium, is one of the most successful clay court players this century. She is known for having an amazing one-handed backhand. Like Bjorn Borg, she never lost in the finals at the French Open. She won the French Open four times, including three times in a row from 2005-2007.
She also won the Australian Open once and the U.S. Open twice, and she was the #1 ranked player in the world for 117 weeks.
