Who was the 'King of Clay' before Rafael Nadal took over? A look at an often overlooked former World No. 1

Rafael Nadal’s unmatched 14 French Open titles have earned him the ‘King of Clay’ title, but he is not the first player to be christened such. Before the Spaniard, the crown was held by another former World No. 1 — Austria’s Thomas Muster.

The often-forgotten 1995 French Open champion was a maverick on clay and his exploits that spanned the late 1980s and 1990s are worth revisiting.

Here, we look back at Muster’s early beginnings, rise to fame, and journey to being dubbed the ‘King of Clay’ long before Rafael Nadal was to burst onto the scene.

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Thomas Muster's rise to the 'King of Clay' crown

The seeds for success on clay had been sown early in Thomas Muster’s career, as he first shot to fame upon reaching the junior French Open final in 1985. It was his first rodeo on the big stage.

A teenager back then, he had already been playing on the senior circuit. He won his first singles match, Kitzbuehel, in 1984 and would go on to debut in the top 100 a year later.

Success continued to follow the Austrian as he won his Grand Slam match at the French Open in 1986. He would go on to win his first Tour-level title at Hilversum soon after. Throughout the early days, the red dirt remained the one constant.

Muster’s Grand Slam graph began to improve with consistent third-round showings at the French and US Open. His big breakthrough, however, came at the 1989 Australian Open when he made the semifinals with wins over the likes of Magnus Gustafsson and Danie Visser. Tragedy, however, struck as he was hit by a drunk driver hours after he had made the Lipton International Players Championships finals in Miami.

The Austrian flew back home and underwent surgery. Such was his determination that he had a special chair designed for himself to help ensure that he could still practice hitting tennis balls. And this very determination saw him return to action a mere six months later.

"The comeback in ’89... Just coming back from the accident. No one expected it so soon. That’s the biggest thing I’ve done in my career. Bigger than winning tournaments,” he had said of his return to Tour after the accident in a later interview.

By 1994, he had made the quarterfinals or better at all Slam but Wimbledon.

Thomas Muster and Michael Chang during the 1995 French Open final. (Source: Getty)

Despite being a regular presence deep at the Grand Slam, however, few saw Muster’s 1995 French Open run coming. The Austrian had come into the tournament as the fifth seed and steamrolled past his early opponents to make the quarterfinals.

Then came his epic five-set showdown against Spaniard and fellow future champion, Albert Costa. The duo slugged it out in an intense battle but it was Muster who prevailed 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-2. He went back to winning straight-set matches in the semifinal and final against Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Michael Chang respectively. The coronation was complete as Clay had a new “King”.

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Before Rafael Nadal, there was Thomas Muster

Thomas Muster in action during the 1995 French Open. (Source: Getty)

Thomas Muster continued to play until 1999 and even made a brief return to the Tour in 2010-11 at the age of 42. He, however, had already caught national attention by successfully returning to Tour after the road accident.

The 1990 season, when Muster won three Tour-level titles and made the French Open semifinal, saw him with the ATP Comeback Player of the Year and the Austrian Sportsman of the Year, both of which celebrated his incredible resolve.

He finished his career with a 32-13 record at the French Open, his best at Grand Slams to immortalize his love for clay. The 1996 season was his best as he compiled a 43-7 win-loss, lifted Masters-level titles on the red dirt in Monte Carlo and Rome and climbed to the World No. 1 ranking.

Muster would go out a couple of years before Rafael Nadal even made his debut. The Austrian played the final match of his career at the venue that both he and the future ‘King of Clay’ have come to hold very dear to their hearts, the Roland Garros.