Rafael Nadal is widely known as the ‘King of Clay’ but the Spanish superstar has had a few rare defeats on the clay court as well. Here’s a look at the 5 most recent players to have beaten Nadal on clay.
Rafael Nadal wrote his name into the history books at the Australian Open earlier this year. The Spanish tennis icon won a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne, edging ahead of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who have 20 Grand Slam titles each.
A record-breaking 13 of Nadal’s Grand Slam triumphs have come at the French Open, including four instances in which he didn’t drop a single set. Nadal also has 11 Monte Carlo Masters titles and 10 Italian Open Cups.
Nadal’s record on the clay surface is nothing short of spectacular. The Spaniard has suffered only 43 defeats in 607 matches on the clay court. Only 25 players have been able to register a win or more against Nadal. Listed below are the most recent defeats Nadal has suffered on a clay court.
Novak Djokovic, 2021 French Open – Rafael Nadal and Djokovic met at the Roland Garros semi-finals last year. However, it was the Serb who came out victorious in four sets 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2. Djokovic went on to win the French Open title as well.
Alexander Zverev, 2021 Madrid Open – Nadal faced off against German youngster Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open in 2021. However, the veteran lost in two sets as Zverev marched on to the semis.
Andrey Rublev, 2021 Monte Carlo Masters – Nadal locked horns with the Russian in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters last year. The Spaniard suffered a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 defeat as Rublev reached the final to eventually lose out to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Diego Schwartzman, 2020 Italian Open – Nadal squared off against Diego Schwartzman at the 2020 Italian Open quarterfinals in Rome. But the ‘King of Clay’ suffered defeat in straight sets 6-2, 7-5 against the Argentine.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, 2019 Madrid Open – The rising Greek star, now dubbed the ‘Prince of Clay’, showed his skill against Nadal at the 2019 Madrid Open Final beating the tennis legend 6-4, 2-6 6-3. It was the first time Tsitsipas got the better of Nadal and it was on a turf where he least expected it.
While it remains to be seen whether he will participate in any of the clay tournaments this year amid a few injury concerns, there are a few who are tipped to dominate the clay-court circuit shortly. One player who has impressed heavily on clay is 23-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek star won the 2022 Monte Carlo Masters recently and reached the final of the French Open last year only to lose out to Novak Djokovic.
Nevertheless, Nadal will still be vying for more success in the coming years despite a few injury issues. If the Australian Open in January was anything to go by, the 35-year-old still has a lot to give to the Tennis fraternity.
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