Rafael Nadal is actually not the most successful clay court player of all time in terms of titles.
Nadal is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, having won 22 Grand Slam titles before retiring from tennis in 2024.
The Spaniard is synonymous with one surface in particular, with Nadal often referred to as the ‘King of Clay’ after winning a record 14 Roland Garros titles.
While no player has won more titles than Nadal at Roland Garros, there is one WTA player who has won more clay court titles than him.
Chris Evert has won more titles on clay than Rafael Nadal
Nadal won a huge total of 63 titles on clay, which is 14 more than the ATP player with the second highest total, Guillermo Vilas, who won 49 titles on the surface.
However, this is still less than 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert, who won 70 clay court titles in her career.
Evert’s total is more than double any other player in WTA history, with Steffi Graf winning the second highest number of clay titles on 32.
The American won seven of these clay court titles at Roland Garros, which is more than any other player in WTA history, but half Nadal’s record tally at the tournament.
Nadal won 90.5% of his career matches on clay, while Evert won 94.6%, losing just 22 of her 404 career matches on the dirt.
Perhaps the most astounding record of Evert’s on clay is the 125-match winning streak she went on, which lasted a total of six years between 1973 and 1979.
| Rafael Nadal | Chris Evert | |
| Win-loss Record on clay | 484-51 (90.5%) | 382-22 (94.6%) |
| Clay Court titles | 63 | 70 |
| French Open titles | 14 | 7 |
| Longest winning streak on clay | 81 matches | 125 matches |
Who did Chris Evert say is the greatest tennis player of all time on clay?
While Evert may lead Nadal in terms of clay court titles, it appears that she does not think she is the greatest clay court player of all time.
After Nadal won his ninth Roland Garros title in 2014, Evert claimed that he was ‘the greatest clay courter ever’.
She wrote on X (known as Twitter at the time), “Congrats to @RafaelNadal, the greatest clay courter ever; enjoy your big win!!!”
Would Rafael Nadal be the undisputed GOAT if not for injuries?
While Evert believes Nadal is the greatest clay courter, she has previously called Novak Djokovic the greatest men’s tennis player of all time.
“I think Novak (Djokovic), if he has another three or four years especially, I think he is going to have to be considered the greatest of all time,” Evert said on FanSided’s Da Windy City podcast in 2021. “Mentally, physically, oh my gosh, and emotionally, he’s above them all, I think.
“Shot making, artistry: Roger Federer. Fitness and warrior fighter: Rafa Nadal, but Djokovic will win more tournaments and will win more grand slam tournaments and will have a better record.”
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