The level of dominance that the Spaniard has displayed on the surface was unprecedented in men's tennis before he won the Monte Carlo Masters in 2005; since then, he’s claimed 62 more titles on clay, including 14 French Opens.
However, with Nadal struggling with injury, it’s looking more uncertain than ever that he’ll add to those tallies, which begs the question: who can step up to become the new man to beat on the red stuff?
Novak Djokovic
The most obvious answer to that question is one Novak Djokovic (35), who you could argue is the second-best clay court player in the history of men’s tennis and still the best player in the world.
Only Nadal has more titles than him on the surface, and the Serb has been the only man other than Dominic Thiem (29) - who hasn’t looked the same player since returning from injury - to consistently challenge the Spaniard on it in recent times, beating him at Roland Garros in 2021.
Given he’s about to turn 36, Djokovic won’t dominate the clay season for years on end as Nadal has, but you’d be a brave person to bet against him adding to his two French Open triumphs if his rival is out of the picture.
Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz (19) is the only man other than Roger Federer to beat Nadal and Djokovic consecutively in the same tournament since the end of 2010, and the only one ever to do so on clay.
He showed just how good he could be on the surface when he beat his compatriot in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open last year before knocking Djokovic out in the semis with two stunning performances.
The Spaniard went on to win that tournament and has also won the Barcelona Open, the Rio Open and the Croatia Open, all competitions played on clay. Oh, and given he’s still a teenager, he’s only going to get better.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas (24) hasn’t done too well since reaching the Australian Open final at the start of 2023, but there’s reason to believe he can turn things around in the coming months.
The closest he’s come to winning a Grand Slam is at Roland Garros, where he led Djokovic by two sets in the 2021 final before losing, and he’s also won the Monte Carlo Masters twice, the Estoril Open once and has reached finals in Rome, Barcelona, Madrid and Hamburg.
With his power, movement and shot-making, the Greek player is a force to be reckoned with on clay on his day.
Casper Ruud
Of all of the players on this list, the term ‘clay-court specialist’ applies to Ruud (24) more than any other.
Eight of the nine titles the Norwegian has won thus far in his career have been on the surface, and he also reached the French Open final last year, beating Tsitsipas in the process.
He wasn’t able to put up much of a fight in the final against Nadal, but there’s no shame in that given the Spaniard was at his unbeatable best that day.
Alexander Zverev
One man who was able to cause Nadal real problems at Roland Garros last year is Zverev (25), who was more than a match for the Spaniard in the first two sets of the semi-final before picking up an injury and being forced to retire.
The German beat Alcaraz at the same tournament and before it, he won the Munich Open twice, the Madrid Open twice and the Rome Open once.
2023 hasn’t been a good year for him so far, but with such a record on clay, he could yet enjoy a successful spring.
