Why Rafa Nadal is the King of Clay - Thomas Schottland

 

        With this year's Roland Garros finally underway in Paris, there is no more appropriate way to commence such a prestigious tournament with a deep dive into why exactly its 13 time Champion has had such a repetitive, dominant success in the main draw. Who is the man with such an impressive, eye-opening record? None other than the Spanish "matador" Rafael Nadal. But how can one-man rule an entire grand slam tournament for so long? The answer is simple... and it all comes down to the basic mechanics in the sport of tennis. 

    When an individual learns to play tennis for the first time, they are met with the greatest obstacle of the game: control. The entire game of tennis revolves around the idea that a player must lift the ball over the net, but not too much, so it can fall within the boundaries of the court on the opposing side. One method of striking the ball facilitates this very ideal...and it is that of topspin. For example, let's take a look at Nadal's forehand below. One would be able to see the rotation and super high RPMs he is able to produce on the ball, which lifts and drops the ball into the court with plenty of action. On clay, the ball bounces quite violently, producing much more benefit towards Nadal's game, making it way more effective against other Tour-level players. 

        Now, let's take a look at the true bounce height of his shots: On clay, his bounce height reaches an unreal 1.62 meters, which is the height of the average female. This means most of the male players that Nadal faces on clay have to hit the ball at shoulder or neck level, making it very difficult to generate power and consistency. 

    Clay being a slower surface also helps players like Nadal to return the serves of some giants on tour such as 6'10 John Isner or 7'1 Reilly Opelka, their 140 mph + bombs are nowhere near as effective as they are on grass or hardcourt. 

        Yeahhhhhh...no wonder Nadal prefers clay...

        Growing up in Mallorca, Spain, Nadal spent plenty of his training on clay courts, and his game certainly is attributed towards it. 13 out of his 20 Grand Slam titles are from the French Open, where he has amassed an astonishing 100-2 record. Nadal also has excelled at many other clay-court tournaments other than Roland Garros, winning 11 Monte-Carlo Masters, 10 Rome Masters, 11 Barcelona Titles, and 5 Madrid Titles. Victory is simply in his DNA. 

    Nadal has also brought his success back to his hometown of Mallorca, opening a renowned tennis academy that is training the next generation of professional tennis players. I had the pleasure of training there myself a year back before Covid started, and I had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of training briefly with Rafa! He certainly doesn't show mercy in practice:) As a competitive tennis player myself, I have tried to emulate certain parts of Nadal's game, and not only his topspin, but his fighting mentality. Nadal never gives in, he forces the opponent to take the match from him, making him one of the greatest competitors of all time. 

    So with the 2021 Roland Garros in action, will the King of Clay defend his 13 Titles? Will he pass Roger Federer's record 20 Grand Slams? Will he make it past the tough draw and the on-fire Novak Djokovic? For me, I know Nadal will never surrender on the red clay of Paris, and I for sure know that Rafa wants to bite that shiny trophy for yet another time;)