Why is Rafael Nadal so Dominant on Clay?
Why is Rafael Nadal is Dominant on Clay?
By: Jatin Nayyar
With 20 grand slam title wins, Rafael Nadal has further put himself in the conversation as one of the best tennis players ever. His most recent win was in this year's French Open, earning his 20th grand slam title tying with Rodger Federer. People do not know that 13 of his 20 grand slam titles have been won at the French Open. The "King of Clay" is indisputably the best clay-court player to live. But how is he so dominant on the surface? The answer has many factors to it, but first, we must go back to the beginning. Born in Mallorca, Spain, Nadal was only three years old when he held a racquet. His Uncle Toni, his long-time coach, noticed the desire and keen aptitude for the sport. Throughout his adolescence, he only played in clay surface tournaments. Not knowing this, young Rafa began to master the surface, learn how to play on the surface, find dead spots, and know where to place the ball to make it harder for his opponent to get. Playing on a clay surface is much different than any other. The surface is a lot slower and bouncier. Due to Nadal’s share athletic ability, it became easy for him to get to the ball. However, he had a shorter period of time to get to the ball he made for it with his. Because of this, he had more time to get prepared for each shot compared to any other player on tour.
Nadal can cover naturally any part of the court with his speed. However, what sets him apart is how much topspin he generates on his shot. Topspin is the amount of spin you create on the ball when hit and is characterized as a brushing motion. It is measured in RPM (revolution per minute), and Rafael Nadal's average is 3,200 RPMs. RPMs or (revolutions per minute), which in tennis describes how much spin is produced by a player when hitting a shot. To put in perspective Nadal's shots are about 20 percent higher than Roger Federer's or Andy Roddick's and nearly twice that of Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi. These four players are some of the hardest-hitting players in tennis history. However, they never utilized topspin as much as Nadal; instead, they used their power alone and would generally hit the flat ball, meaning that barely any spin was produced.
Combine the freakish physique, and the way he plays the clay surface was meant for him. Since the surface is slower, he has more time to set up and generates a shot with high amounts of power but with much more topspin. As a result, his opponent knows that he hits hard, but they don't know how high the ball will bounce after the first bounce. With more topspin, there is more pop and spin, which results in the ball bouncing higher. This effect on the ball forces opponents to change their footing, back up, and rewind, which causes them to rush their shot. As I mentioned before, his playstyle is also one reason he is so fit for clay. His two main shots are his forehand and serving slice out wide on the ad side. This puts him in advantage since he plays left landed. Since the majority of players on tour are right-handed they are not accustomed to playing against left-handed players. When they do they have to readjust all their positioning which puts the favor on the match for the lefty from the beginning. Nadal has been a force for nineteen years now and is still a force to be reckoned with, especially on clay. From his upbringing, Nadal was ready for any clay tournament that came his way. The combination of playing on clay at a very young age, his endurance and agility from his physical stature, and the way he plays the game are the reasons why Rafael Nadal is dominant on clay.