Items23The creator’s order
  1. 1Rafael NadalRafael NadalBorn 3 Jun 1986Rafael Nadal's clay game rested on one pattern: a left-handed forehand with extreme topspin, hit high to a right-hander's backhand until the reply dropped short. Add relentless sliding defence and the fact that he never seemed to tire, and the result was 14 French Open titles and a record at Roland…0i
  2. 2Björn BorgBjörn BorgBorn 6 Jun 1956Björn Borg brought heavy topspin and a two-handed backhand to the top of the game in the 1970s, and on clay he simply would not miss. He stood well behind the baseline, rolled the ball deep and waited for errors, winning the French Open six times. Remarkably, he also won Wimbledon five times in a…0i
  3. 3Chris EvertChris EvertChris Evert played clay with precision rather than spin: flat, deep groundstrokes, a two-handed backhand and almost no unforced errors. Between 1973 and 1979 she won 125 consecutive matches on clay, the longest winning streak on a single surface in the Open era, and she won the French Open seven…0i
  4. 4Guillermo VilasGuillermo VilasBorn 17 Aug 1952Guillermo Vilas was a left-hander with heavy topspin on both sides and extraordinary fitness, who could stay in rallies for as long as it took. In 1977 he won the French Open and the US Open, which was then played on clay at Forest Hills, and put together a 46-match winning streak. He won more than…0i
  5. 5Thomas MusterThomas MusterBorn 2 Oct 1967Thomas Muster was a left-handed grinder who overpowered opponents physically on clay, with heavy topspin and a fitness regime that became famous. In 1989 a drunk driver hit him in Key Biscayne and damaged his knee; he came back, trained seated with his leg in a brace, and in 1995 won the French…0i
  6. 6Gustavo KuertenGustavo KuertenBorn 10 Sept 1976Gustavo Kuerten won on clay with loose, long swings and big angles rather than grinding. His one-handed backhand down the line and his forehand from the corners opened the court in a way few clay players managed. Unseeded and ranked 66th, he won the 1997 French Open, then won again in 2000 and…0i
  7. 7Sergi BrugueraSergi BrugueraBorn 16 Jan 1971Sergi Bruguera hit with an extreme western forehand grip and some of the heaviest topspin of the 1990s, sending the ball high over the net and deep. The approach was built for slow clay, where it won him the French Open in 1993, beating Jim Courier in the final, and again in 1994. His style was a…0
  8. 8Mats WilanderMats WilanderBorn 22 Aug 1964Mats Wilander won the 1982 French Open at 17 with tactical patience that seemed beyond his years, changing pace and height until opponents lost their rhythm. He added Roland Garros titles in 1985 and 1988, and his 1988 season, with three majors, showed how well clay-court thinking could transfer to…0i
  9. 9Manuel OrantesManuel OrantesBorn 6 Feb 1949Manuel Orantes was a left-handed touch player who won with lobs, angles and soft changes of pace rather than heavy spin. His best-known win is the 1975 US Open, played on clay at Forest Hills, where he saved match points in the semi-final and then beat Jimmy Connors in straight sets in the final by…0i
  10. 10Carlos MoyáCarlos MoyáBorn 27 Aug 1976Carlos Moyá built points around one of the biggest forehands of the late 1990s, running round his backhand to hit inside-out from the middle of the court. That more aggressive clay style won him the 1998 French Open and made him, in 1999, the first Spanish man to reach world number one. He later…0i