With his fourteenth triumph at Roland Garros, Rafa Nadal once again exhibits his brutal superiority on clay, his favorite surface.
It is an amazing domain, for which it is difficult to find equivalents, not in the history of tennis, but in the history of any sport.
Between 1990 and 2004, 11 players won in Paris.
Then Nadal arrived in 2005, and since then only three tennis players have received the glory of the Chatrier: Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic, the latter twice.
Eighteen years have passed, and all the other cups —up to a total of 14— were taken by Nadal.
Nadal has dominated Parisian soil with 14 titles.
Since 2005 only Djokovic (twice), Federer and Wawrinka have managed to win in Paris
Nadal
14
14
12
10
8
Borg
6
6
4
Djokovic
two
Federer
0
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
Nadal has dominated Parisian soil with 14 titles.
Since 2005 only Djokovic (twice), Federer and Wawrinka have managed to win in Paris
Nadal
14
14
12
10
8
Borg
6
6
4
Djokovic
two
Federer
0
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
Nadal has dominated Parisian soil with 14 titles.
Since 2005 only Djokovic (twice), Federer and Wawrinka have managed to win in Paris
Nadal
14
14
12
10
8
Borg
6
6
Lendl
Wilander
Kuerten
4
3
3
3
Djokovic
two
Federer
0
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
nineteen ninety five
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
Nadal has dominated Parisian soil with 14 titles.
Since 2005 only Djokovic (twice), Federer and Wawrinka have managed to win in Paris
Nadal
14
14
12
10
8
Borg
6
6
Lendl
Wilander
Kuerten
4
3
3
3
Djokovic
two
Federer
0
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
nineteen ninety five
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
The last 20 years have been the worst to be a specialist on clay, because any tennis player had to face the Balearic Islands: Nadal's dictatorship, season after season, has made it impossible for other players to win the Parisian trophy.
Only the Borg of the 1970s can come close to the Spanish's record, and even so he watches it from afar, from his six Musketeers' Cups, less than half.
The ground is the ideal surface for Nadal's game, where the left-hander unleashes the spin of the ball that has brought him so many successes.
His topspin prints such an effect on the ball that it overwhelms rivals due to the height he reaches after the bounce.
The superiority of the Balearic leaves no doubt when taking a look at the Elo ranking on clay, a metric that gauges the strength based on results and the rivals of each player.
Since Nadal got enough points to lead this classification, in 2005, he has not let go of the lead for more than two years, in 2015 and 2016.
In half a century, there is no other tennis player who has been superior to others for so long.
In the late seventies, Borg was the best on this surface for 5 consecutive years, and was in the top three for nine seasons.
Ivan Lendl spent 11 years in the
top
three, a few years later.
But Nadal is in another dimension: he has been the best for 16 years and has been in the top two for 18 years.
Djokovic was the best on clay the two years that Nadal faltered minimally.
The Serbian has been in the
top
three on this surface for 14 years, and it is inevitable to wonder how many years he would have been the best if Rafael Nadal had not existed.
Another piece of information to see the singular dominance of the Spanish tennis player on clay is his percentage of games won: between Grand Slam and Masters 1000, since 2005 he has played 338 games and won 309, 91%.
It is a reliability that his historical tennis rivals do not reach, neither Roger Federer on grass (89%), nor Novak Djokovic on hard court (85%).
Percentage of matches they have won per season on their favorite surface in Grand Slam and Master 1000: Nadal on clay, Federer on grass and Djokovic on hard court.
100% wins
80
60
40
twenty
0
2001
2005
2010
2015
2020
2022
Percentage of matches they have won per season on their favorite surface in Grand Slam and Master 1000: Nadal on clay, Federer on grass and Djokovic on hard court.
100% wins
80
60
40
twenty
0
2001
2005
2010
2015
2020
2022
Percentage of matches they have won per season on their favorite surface in Grand Slam and Master 1000: Nadal on clay, Federer on grass and Djokovic on hard court.
100% wins
Novak
Djokovic
80
Raphael
Nadal
60
Roger
Federer
40
Ni Djokovic ni Federer han jugado esta temporada en su superficie favorita.
20
0
2001
2005
2010
2015
2020
2022
Porcentaje de partidos que han ganado por temporada en su superficie favorita en Grand Slam y en Master 1000: Nadal en tierra, Federer en hierba y Djokovic en pista dura.
Novak
Djokovic
100% de victorias
80
Rafael
Nadal
60
Roger
Federer
40
Ni Djokovic ni Federer han jugado esta temporada en su superficie favorita.
20
0
2001
2005
2010
2015
2020
2022
En 2005, 2006 y 2010, Nadal ganó todos los partidos que jugó sobre tierra batida en las máximas categorías, una veintena cada vez. Durante una década ganó el 90% de los partidos, entre 2005 y 2014, y volvió a esas cifras de nuevo entre 2017 y 2020. En comparación, Djokovic solo ha estado por encima del 90% en pista dura seis años de su carrera, y no fueron seguidos.
Más Grand Slam que ningún hombre, y a uno de Serena Williams
Nadal es el tenista masculino con más títulos de Grand Slam de la historia, con 22 trofeos, dos más que Federer y Djokovic. Ahí deja de momento el listón para el futuro, después de competir durante dos décadas por elevar la cifra que hoy mide la excelencia en este deporte.
El listón absoluto en era open, sigue más arriba, en los 23 títulos que ha logrado hasta ahora Serena Williams.
Cuando Roger Federer ganó su primer grande en 2003, la vara estaba en los 14 títulos de Sampras y al podio se podía acceder con nueve grandes, pero el precio de la plusmarca se ha disparado con esta histórica competición a tres: superar a Federer y Djokovic exige 21 títulos, y desde este domingo, superar a Nadal, exige 23.
Rafael
Nadal
Novak
Djokovic
Roger
Federer
Nadal
22
20
20
Federer
17
Djokovic
16
15
14
12
10
10
9
5
3
1
0
0
2005
2010
2015
2020
Rafael
Nadal
Novak
Djokovic
Roger
Federer
Nadal
22
20
20
Federer
17
Djokovic
16
15
14
12
10
10
9
5
3
1
0
0
2005
2010
2015
2020
Nadal
22
20
20
Federer
17
Djokovic
16
Roger Federer
15
14
12
Rafael Nadal
10
10
9
5
3
1
Novak Djokovic
0
0
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2022
Nadal
22
20
20
Roger Federer
Federer
17
Djokovic
16
15
14
12
10
10
9
Rafael Nadal
5
3
1
Novak Djokovic
0
0
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2022
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