The renaissance of tennis’ ‘old guard’ continues at pace. The last thirteen of the sport’s Grand Slam events have been won by either Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, which confirms that – for now at least – the passing of the torch in tennis to a new generation of stars is a little way off.
One of the more surprising eras of dominance has to be Nadal’s almost invincible quality on clay. The Spaniard has obviously got game – he’s a 12-time French Open champion – but as soon as you hit thirty years of age the passage of time is supposed to be such that the physical exertion of playing on the slower surface is too much to bear.
But Nadal is very much an exception to the rule, and despite turning 34 this year he is still the man to beat at Roland Garros – as confirmed by his favouritism in the outright market for the latest French Open men’s singles tennis betting odds.
The sands of time are starting to conspire against the Spaniard, however, and other than the great left-hander himself there have been only four French Open champions crowned after their thirtieth birthday in the past 50 years.
So can Nadal’s dominance on clay continue in 2020, or are there any pretenders to his throne? Here are three players most likely to wrestle his crown away.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
At just 21, Stefanos Tsitsipas has the tennis world at his feet and could go on to win everything that the sport has to offer. His major record is not all that impressive as yet – unsurprising for one so young – but he did win the ATP Finals in 2019 and that hints at a player with the game and the temperament to triumph on the big stage.
The Greek himself has spoken of his love for clay court tennis, telling the ATP in an interview: “I feel very confident when I step on the dirt. I always show my best tennis on this surface.”
He won the Estoril Open, reached the final of the Madrid Open and lost in the semi-finals of the Italian Open in 2019, all of which are played on clay, and the suspicion is that – based upon his current ascendance – Tsitsipas will go on to become a multiple-time champion at Roland Garros.
Cristian Garin
Here is something of a curveball selection, but already in his young career Cristian Garin has shown signs of real quality on the clay. A former winner of the Junior French Open, the 23-year-old is now a four-time ATP Tour champion on the dirt – including a 500 Series event in Rio de Janeiro earlier in 2020.
South American players tend to dominate on home soil, but the Chilean showed his crossover potential by triumphing in the Bavarian Championships in 2019 – could Garin follow in the footsteps of the Argentine, Gaston Gaudio, and the Brazilian, Gustavo Kuerten, in revelling at Roland Garros?
This trio has an almighty undertaking in trying to emulate Rafa Nadal’s heroics on clay any time soon, but they look as well placed as any to depose him of dominance in the long term.
