Top 5 clay courters of all time 

Have you ever wondered why Nadal has had such close encounters with the other top guys constantly throughout his career but when its clay court season, he decimates the entire playing field time and again?

To understand this, one has to understand how clay courts work. The high spin of the tennis ball hitting the mud, or the ‘clay’ causes the ball to dig into the surface and as a result what you get is a slower ball which jumps higher. The slower ball means the player has more time to get to the ball and the height, which means that a more strategic player has more opportunities to crack the opponents’ game.

Combine this with the loopy whip mastered by Nadal, and it’s no surprise how the Mallorcan has been crowned as the ‘King of Clay’.

Over the decades, there have been a few players who have managed to stay above the finest cut during their peak and mastered the art of clay court tennis. Here are the best of among them.

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#5 Gustavo Kuerten

Gustavo Kuerten, a three-time Roland Garros champion, is the only Brazilian to win a Grand Slam in the open era

Also known affectionately as 'Guga', Gustavo Kuerten has won the French Open three times – in 199, 2000 and 2001 respectively. The only Brazilian to win a Grand Slam in the open era, Guga was a thin-framed player who was known for his offensive baseline play, in contrast to defensive baseliners mostly seen in clay courts.

His heavy topspin on the single hand backhand and a very powerful first serve wore down his opponents game after game. Sadly, a string of injuries post 2002 didn't allow him to reach the level of tennis he could have produced to become one of the legends of the game.

Gustavo is still the only player to beat a prime Federer (who was world no.1 at the time) at a Grand Slam event before the quarterfinals. This happened at the Roland Garros in 2014.

"I didn't expect this trophy — that's why I didn't believe that it could happen. When I received the trophy from Borg, he was one of my big idols in tennis. ... It was the first time I really believed that I won."

- Kuerten, after clinching his maiden French Open title

#4 Mats Wilander

By the age of 20, he had already had five Grand Slams under his belt

Mats Wilander was one of the greats of the late 80's, who known for his rivalry with Ivan Lendl. Nowadays, Wilander often comes as an analyst on tour.

His intelligence on the strategical side of tennis particularly helped him in his clay court success. With 20 clay court titles to his name, including three French Open titles, Wilander catapulted himself to success at an incredibly young age.

At the tender age of 17 years, the Swede had won his first French Open title at the first time of asking as an unseeded player. By the age of 20, he had already had five Grand Slams under his belt.

Being a fellow Swedish player, he was always compared to Bjorn Borg for his success on all surfaces, strong mental fortitude and constantly putting that one extra ball back into play.

#3 Thomas Muster

He had a 40-match winning streak to his name

Thomas Muster is a former World No.1 and was the first tennis player to be called the 'King of Clay', way back in the 90's.

With an amazing number of 40 clay court titles to his name, the clay court swing from '94 onwards was a glorious time for Muster. In the '95 clay court swing, he won 11 clay court tournaments and went on a 40-match winning spree.

The following year he even managed to defend seven of those titles, which eventually allowed him to claim no. 1 in the rankings.

As much as he was winning in clay, his legacy for a former World No.1 remains fairly unknown to most, except hardcore British fans, mostly due to the fact that he had very little success in grass court tournaments.

Muster was a true clay court specialist. His determination to win not only the big Grand Slams but every tournament he participated in was endless.

This was the quality helped him survive and thrive at the highest levels on the red dirt.

#2 Bjorn Borg

BJORN BORG

Bjorn Borg is known for a lot of things – his flowing game style much like Federer, his dominance on all surfaces at the time (especially grass), the great rivalry with Johnny Mac, his retirement at the age of 26.

Among all of this, Borgs' incredible clay court results don't come into the limelight all that often, but would you believe if I said that Bjorn Borg has lost just two matches in Roland Garros his entire career – the same as Rafael Nadal!

Borg had gone on to win six French Open titles before his premature retirement. He was a fighter throughout his short career and was the man to beat if and when he registered for a tournament. Borg has 30 clay court titles to his name, with an amazing 86 win percentage.

His final French Open came in 1981 in a beautiful match with the new age player Ivan Lendl – a 5 set thriller with Borg claiming victory.

If Borg was on tour a bit longer, the greats of our time would have greater feats to conquer but for now, let us appreciate what he has given to the game in his short stint as a professional tennis player.

#1 Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal - the King Of Clay

Coming down to the greatest grinder of all time- Rafael Nadal! To explain the greatness he has achieved on this surface in a few words is difficult. Looking at him as the greatest clay court player of all time while he is still an active player might be also be a little challenging.

However, to put it in perspective, let me give you some basic stats – the man has an unbelievable 57 clay court titles to his name, with 11 French Open titles already under his belt.

Nadal has only lost twice in the French Open in more than a decade and has a win percentage over 90! All this translates to the fact that Nadal is a beast on the surface and anyone including the likes of Federer or Novak Djokovic have to wonder what it takes to beat a man who seems to have been put on this planet to dominate and defend clay court tennis all his life.

There are only a handful of things that has been a constant from my childhood to adulthood and Nadal's dominance on clay is easily one of them. Let us tennis fans hope, he continues to rewrite history as a clay-courter for as long as he can.