By: Aaron Xiong

With the clay season underway for both men and women’s professional tour, all eyes turn to the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. Due to COVID-19 and injuries, Rafael Nadal has yet to play an ATP match since his Australian Open quarterfinal battle against Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece where he loss in five excruciating sets.

Despite his recent back injuries, Nadal is looking to begin his clay season campaign at the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 tournament. The Monte Carlo Masters is the first of three Masters 1000 events played on clay. The Spaniard holds the record for most Monte Carlo Masters 1000 titles with 11 titles. Nadal won eight of his 11 titles in a row from 2005 – 2012 and the last three in a row as well from 2016-2018.

However, Nadal is not alone in Monte Carlo as other big names such as world number 1 Novak Djokovic and world number 2 Daniil Medvedev and others join the playing field. On a surface where Nadal is seemingly unbeatable, few have been able to say they have won a match on clay against the legend. Nadal has won an outstanding 71 of the 76 matches he’s played at the Monte Carlo Masters and is seemingly indestructible in Monaco.

Despite out of this world numbers at all four major clay tournaments, Nadal’s back injuries may stop him from completing a successful clay season. With a playing style that involves several athletic movements, Nadal has been at the center of numerous injuries throughout his lengthy career. No matter, the 20 time Grand Slam champion has proven time and time again that injuries won’t stop him from winning a tennis match.

Nadal has stated that he hopes to be in tip top shape for this French Open where he is the reigning champion having won the last four French Opens from 2017-2020. Although playing the Monte Carlo may ignite the back injury again, the Spaniard hopes to play a full clay season starting in Monte Carlo.

As all eyes turn to the King of Clay, only time will tell if his back will withstand the battle on the dirt.

By: Aaron Xiong

With the Miami Open entering the quarter-final stages, that means the the early hardcourt season is coming to an end. With the hardcourt season coming to an end, that means only one thing. The clay season is right around the corner.

The clay season is one of the longest on the ATP and WTA tours with the men’s tour consisting of the French Open which is one of the four Grand Slam events, The Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome Masters which are all Masters 1000 tournaments and several other tournaments. However, switching from the hardcourts to the clay courts is no easy task for tennis players, including the pros.

The clay court surface is unlike any other playing surface in sports. Clay courts alter the way tennis players have to play, the way the ball bounces, and the overall speed of the game. Much like hard courts, not all clay courts are created the same. Different material is used to create clay courts all around the world and players must adapt to each clay surface at each individual tournament. Clay courts also alter the way the ball bounces on the court. Since the clay courts create more friction with the ball since the court “moves” with the ball, once the ball bounces off the court, it kicks off the ground which makes the ball jump higher than on hard courts or grass courts.

By increasing the height of the ball once it bounces off the ground, the playing speed is also reduced substantially. Players must wait for the ball to reach a lower height in order to hit a more accurate and powerful shot as well as play more defense due to higher bouncing balls. Defensive specialist and strictly baseline players prefer the clay courts as longer rallies are typically seen on this surface. However, the big servers suffer the most on clay as the it’s able to absorb a big serve’s momentum and slow down the pace of the ball. One handed backhand players also suffer due to the ball bouncing above the shoulder at times which makes it harder to hit a one handed backhand.

Clay is considered to be the hardest of the three surface types as many players have to adapt their playing styles accordingly. Many players also consider the French Open to be the hardest Grand Slam event to win as the typical windy conditions can make the tournament a tough one to make a deep run at.

The greatest clay court player of all time, Rafael Nadal, has unbelievable numbers at clay court events on the ATP Tour. Rafael Nadal has won a record tying 20 Grand Slams with 13 of those titles coming at the French Open. Nadal is 13-0 in finals and has only loss twice at the French Open. The Spaniard legend is considered the greatest clay court player ever as he holds numerous records and accolades on the surface. He holds records at the three clay court Masters 1000 tournaments as well as the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona. The 34 year old has won a record 11 Monte Carlo Masters, a record 9 Rome Masters, a record 4 Madrid Masters, and a record 11 Barcelona Open titles. Rafael Nadal’s legacy on the clay is one that tennis fans and legends alike marvel at when the clay season begins.

As the clay season looms over the tennis world, many wonder whether or not Nadal’s reign will end on the dirt and if someone else will take the throne.

By: Aaron Xiong

As the smaller tournaments wrapping up around different parts of the world, one of the biggest tournaments outside of the Grand Slams is underway in Miami, Florida! The 2021 Miami Masters is a tournament that has seen several top players withdrawing such as world number one Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and countless others due to COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

The Miami Open is one of the two tournaments along with the Indian Wells Masters known as the Sunshine Double. The Indian Wells Masters is usually held two weeks before the Miami Masters but due to COVID-19, the tournament has been cancelled this year. Completing the Sunshine Double requires a player to win both the Indian Wells and Miami Masters in the same year back to back. The most Sunshine Doubles is Novak Djokovic with four and Roger Federer not too far behind with three.

The first round of the Miami Masters has begun today with numerous first round match ups. Early exits include American Sam Querrey and Spanish player Feliciano Lopez. The two have shown a decline in form and early losses in other tournaments to younger players. Querrey has yet to see any success following his semifinal run at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships where he defeated defending champion, home favorite, and world number 1, Andy Murray.

This is also the second year the Miami Open has moved to the Hard Rock Stadium for match play which is also home to the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. The tournament used to be held in Crandon Park, but was moved due to the tournament site being “outdated.” Top seeded players like number one seeded Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Denis Shapovalov have received first round bye’s due to tournament format.

Round 1 action continues through to Tuesday with round of 64 beginning on Friday in Miami.