The man who can challenge Rafael Nadal on clay - has he been born yet?

Rafael Nadal on clay – an invincible opponent?

The red shale offers an iridescent canvas that shines its light on tennis, glowing in beautiful shades of orange and red. As the artisans slide and glide across the soft exterior of these brilliantly laid courts, the game acquires a transcendental charm and elegance that is inescapable. It is a spring ritual that envelopes tennis fans in a warm soothing embrace and lifts their souls into a rousing summer crescendo.

And one man has ruled the roost, for an entire decade, lording over the dirt scape like no emperor has in the history of this glorious game. The numbers are staggering – 36 tournament victories from 44 attempts including eight French Open crowns, eight titles in Monte Carlo, seven in Rome and three in Madrid, amassing a 216-8 record. Such has been his dominance that Rafael Nadal’s name is probably engraved on trophies across mainland Europe and Paris much before the motley bunch of hapless invaders even anchor their wrecked barges on the Mediterranean coast.

Nadal is a monarch without parallel, but every emperor has to deal with keeping the fort secure. We know he does not like being challenged around the clay fortress that he has built for himself. The last time he was upended in Paris 2009, he came roaring back the next year to re-assert his reign, sweeping his way through the European dirt stakes. That said, as he seeks to extend his rule this year, the Spaniard will have to deal with a resolute collection of invaders who are eager to usurp his glory. Their equipment might be creaky from repeated bruisings, but their spirit seems unbroken.

Last year, Novak Djokovic came agonisingly close to unseating Nadal from his entrenched perch. The Serb ended Nadal’s eight-year stranglehold on Monte Carlo by winning a largely one-sided final, and there was anticipation in the air when the two were seeded to meet in the semifinals of Roland Garros. Djokovic threatened to create a tectonic shift, pushing the Spaniard deep into a dramatic fifth set. But for a clumsy error at the net, he nearly tamed Nadal, only to lose 7-9 in the end.

It is another season now and yet again the embattled invaders return with hope and aspiration as they keep searching for the methods and tools that might help them dethrone the emperor. Not that Nadal will let go so easily. The Spaniard prides himself on his unparalleled accomplishments on clay that guarantee his place in the history of the game, perhaps for eternity. But extended suffering heightens the desire for emancipation, and Nadal’s rivals are perhaps hungrier than ever for success on clay.

The good news from their perspective is that the leader of their pack, Djokovic, has both the game and the guile needed to surpass the monarch in his own lair, even if only on occasion. He has bested Nadal on clay three times, more than any other player in history can boast of, and is coming off a dominating performance against the Spaniard in the Miami final.

Meanwhile, the freshly minted Grand Slam champion Stanislas Wawrinka has wallowed in mediocrity ever since that rousing success in Australia earlier this season. He might even be thankful that he possibly suffered his nadir during the Davis Cup quarterfinals against Kazakhstan, where he lost to Andrey Golubev and then went a set down to Mikhail Kukushkin, before recovering to hand Switzerland its second point of the tie. The world No. 3 is a potent force on clay and if he does find his range again, he is one player that could seriously challenge Nadal on terra bateau.

Grigor Dimitrov is evidently growing as a person and player, as we watch him translate potential into performance. His victory in Acapulco must have emboldened the Bulgarian who is constantly rising up the rankings. The bitter disappointment that dissolved Dimitrov into tears after the quarterfinal defeat to Nadal in Melbourne underlined an intense desire to mix it up with the best and prevail. The calm and purpose with which he carried Bulgaria past Greece in the recent Davis Cup tie spoke of his growing maturity as a player. The man from Sofia seems ready to storm the bastion of the Big 4 and rock their well-preserved dominion.

Roger Federer might be writing the final chapters of his glorious tennis story, but at 32 he seems hungry and eager to prove to himself and his family that there is some more game left on his racquet. Playing with renewed freedom and aggression, the Swiss could prove a handful if he manages to put all the pieces together on the day. For what seems like eternity Nadal has chipped away at Federer’s magnificent edifice by attacking his backhand, and a victory for the Swiss on clay could go a long way to heal some of those wounds.

Fabio Fognini isn’t the typical warrior that seems capable of threatening Nadal, but he seems to have finally put the strings together. His 21-6 record this year and the title in Chile have catapulted the Italian to a career high 13th spot in the world. Fognini underlined his growing confidence and a steadier mind by accounting for all three of Italy’s points in their victory over Great Britain to propel Italy into the Davis Cup semifinals. One of those points came against Andy Murray, offering an indicative measure of his upset potential.

Nadal will also be weary of his compatriots – David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Nicolas Almagro and even Roberto Bautista Agut – each of whom might consider the great man’s scalp a trophy to decorate their home. Ernests Gulbis or Alexandr Dolgopolov, Richard Gasquet or Kei Nishikori – Nadal can no longer be sure of where his nemesis might come from as he fights to keep a growing band of invaders at bay.

Fortunately for Nadal, tennis is man-to-man combat and fist for fist, there is no better warrior than him. He is an old master at playing the point on merit, striking the ball brutally or spinning it viciously to keep the rally on his racquet. Despite groaning joints, he will run himself ragged to either keep the ball in play or nail the point.

It will take a man in form, a man willing to persevere and a man able to consistently paint the lines to disrobe Nadal on clay. It is debatable whether such a man has even been born yet. And until such a force of nature does come along, Rafael Nadal shall remain the emperor of dirtballers.