Clay-court Converts
Seeking success on the 'red dirt'
Time To Get Rough & Ready!
What are the keys to becoming a king of the clay?
It is a surface renowned for testing the physical and mental resilience of players, and only those willing to tough out long rallies and drawn-out matches earn success on it. Some of the ATP Tour’s biggest tournaments take place on the surface, including ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome. It is also used at one of tennis’ four majors, Roland Garros, held every year in Paris.
In total, 22 of the 69 events on the 2024 ATP Tour calendar will be contested on clay. It plays an integral role in each season, and it is the backdrop to many of the most dramatic storylines in tennis’ history. So why is it that some of the world’s top players barely hit a ball on the surface almost until they were about to turn pro?
The simple answer often is: geography. Tennis is a global sport. Such is its reach that a young player’s first experiences with the game often vary depending on where they grow up. For those hailing from mainland Europe and Latin America (for reasons ranging from climate to tradition), clay is almost always the surface on which they learn the game. In contrast, clay features less in countries such as the United States, Australia and Great Britain, where hard or grass courts rule.
So as a player from a country where clay is uncommon, what are the challenges of settling in on a surface you barely know, and taking on top-class rivals who know little else? ATPTour.com sat down with a lineup of relative ‘latecomers’ to the surface, all of whom have registered notable results on clay, to find out.
American Frances Tiafoe in action in Rome, 2023. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Frances Tiafoe. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Back To Basics... At 16!
Briton Norrie reflects on steep learning curve
Cameron Norrie still remembers his rocky start on clay.
“I grew up in New Zealand, we didn't have any clay courts at all there,” the Briton told ATPTour.com. “I was playing some tournaments in Australia when I was 13 or 14. They have some clay courts over there, but it's not proper European clay. I was using a pair of Dunlop Volleys, which is not a proper [clay-court] shoe. Then my first time in Europe was 16.”
Now a five-time tour-level champion, Norrie possesses one of the unique gamestyles on the ATP Tour. He has a heavy, spinning lefty forehand (well-suited to the relatively slow and bouncy nature of clay) which contrasts starkly with his flat, arrow-like backhand. When he started playing regularly on clay in Europe as a teenager, he was told he should try to level out that disparity.
“It was good [to play on clay], but I felt like the coaches were a bit annoying,” said Norrie. “They would just start saying, ‘Now you have to play with more shape on both sides’, and with my backhand, which is very flat, I felt they kept trying to change the way I wanted to hit the ball.
“It was a bit frustrating, and it was tough with the movement. I didn't feel like I could move that well or slide that well. So, it was a difficult adjustment, but I feel like when I'm moving really well and when I feel good with the clay underneath my feet, that’s when I can play my best.”
"You have to make the rallies physical and make them long. Usually it works in my favour when it is like that."
Twelve years since his first hit on red clay and Norrie is a two-time ATP Tour titlist on the surface. The first of those trophies came in 2022 in Lyon, before he defeated Carlos Alcaraz to triumph in 2023 in Rio de Janiero. Norrie attributes some of his improvement on clay to his long-term coach, Facundo Lugones. Hailing from clay-dominated Argentina, Lugones has a firm grasp of what is required to excel on the surface.
“He's played on clay his whole life and he knows how to move, where to hit the ball and, when coming forward, where to hit the volley,” said Norrie of his coach. “On clay you have to volley shorter more often and have the guy run the furthest distance possible.
“He definitely helped a lot and definitely with the movement. But it just takes time to play well, and you have to have incredible footwork to get away from the bounce and to make the rallies physical and to make them long. Usually it works in my favour when it is like that.”
Cameron Norrie celebrates after winning an ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro in 2023. Photo: Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
The Ins & Outs Of Clay
A bit of background on the 'red dirt'
Norrie’s reference to ‘European clay’ highlights an important distinction between different types of clay courts. While the composition of clay courts can always vary slightly, they largely fall into two camps: The traditional ‘red’ or ‘European’ clay, and a type that is often referred to as ‘American’ or ‘green’ clay.
Despite the name, clay courts are rarely made from natural clay. Traditional red clay is usually made from crushed brick. Green clay, which is mostly found in the south-eastern United States and not used at any tour-level events, is made using crushed metabasalt.
The Roland Garros website describes how the courts for the clay-court Grand Slam are made up: "The earth is covered with a total of five layers each around 80 centimetres in depth: the first is made up of stones, followed by gravel, clinker (volcanic residue), limestone and finally a thin layer of crushed brick about two millimetres thick, giving the courts their ochre hue."
The top layers of the court are made up of looser particles than further down, which is why fans will often see bits of clay fly up when a player moves or slides on them. As a result, players wear clay-specific shoes designed to withstand the demands of sliding, and regular sweeping of the court is required to try and ensure an even surface throughout a match.
The maintenance of a clay court during a match on the ATP Tour is carried out by ground staff every time the players sit down for a change of ends. Yet a perfect bounce is nonetheless not guaranteed. It is one of the unique challenges of playing on clay and, when it comes to practising, the onus often lies with the player themselves to smooth out the court.
“In terms of getting the court ready, I had no idea when I was 16,” said Norrie, when asked about his first attempts at self-maintenance of clay courts. “Obviously I know now, but for me, I think you can't be too concerned about the court, and I still don't really care about the court too much.
“I think we're lucky in getting to play in clubs or stadiums with proper clay courts and the bounce is very consistent, but you have to think it's going be the same for both players, regardless of the court. It's not easy sometimes. A guy hits one deep and through the middle and you take a bad bounce, but it happens.”
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Frances Tiafoe during his 2023 title run in Houston. Photo Credit: Jared Wickherham/US Clay
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Tiafoe's Turning Point
American recalls his most important clay-court win
After growing up playing on hard courts and occasionally green clay in the United States, Frances Tiafoe describes a feeling of playing ‘away from home’ whenever he steps onto the red dirt.
Not that it would ever dent the charismatic American’s confidence. In fact, he uses his relatively red clay-free upbringing as motivation, particularly when he is battling an opponent who particularly enjoys the surface.
“I played on green clay all my life, but only played on the red stuff when I started playing on the Tour,” said Tiafoe, who reached the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings in 2023. “Especially winning matches at the tournaments in Europe [gives me extra satisfaction]. Beating Europeans on clay in Europe always makes you feel good.”
“I was like, ‘If I’m beating that guy on clay that bad, I can play on this f**king surface for sure.”
The highlights of Tiafoe’s career on clay include reaching four ATP Tour finals: Two in Estoril, and two in Houston, the only tour-level event on clay in the United States, where he lifted the trophy in 2023.
“I beat some good guys on clay those years,” recalls Tiafoe. “I can play on all surfaces; it is just a mental thing. Committing to the fact it’s going to be tough and it’s going to be grimy, but I’ve got it in my bag.”
Tiafoe can easily identify the moment he realised he could go toe-to-toe with more experienced clay-courters. During his 2018 run to the final in Estoril, he dispatched Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets.
“I played Carreno Busta, he was World No. 11, and I beat him 6-2, 6-3 in Estoril,” remembered Tiafoe. “I was like, ‘If I’m beating that guy on clay that bad, I can play on this f**king surface for sure.”
Like Norrie, Tiafoe finds moving on clay one of the biggest challenges, but also highlights the impact of the weather on how the court plays.
“I think definitely the footing part is hard, longer points, fewer free points,” he said. “A lot of guys can get a lot more balls back and it slows the game down a lot. Then when it’s hotter it can be a little bit faster, and when it’s colder, you can play two different tournaments in one because of the court.
“Guys play further back, and that actually helps them, instead of going to the baseline like a lot of Americans like to do.”
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Taylor Fritz at the 2024 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
More Pain... But More Gain
Clay wins taste extra sweet for Fritz
Taylor Fritz can empathise with Tiafoe’s battle to develop his clay-court game.
The American has in the past few years established himself as one of the most consistent performers on Tour. He has won seven titles and risen as high as World No. 5, but is still waiting to lift his first tour-level trophy on clay.
There are signs that could soon change, however. Fritz reached his maiden tour-level final on the surface last month in Munich and, despite the disappointment of his championship-match defeat to home favourite Jan-Lennard Struff, the 26-year-old has no problem putting his clay achievements in perspective.
“I first played on red clay properly when I was 17 years old, to be honest, when I was a junior and I first came to Europe,” said Fritz. “I think I’m always pretty happy with my clay results, because I think people definitely count me out or don’t think I’m going to be that good on clay. So anytime I can have some good clay results, I guess it feels good.”
"I played on centre court against Stef and I felt really comfortable. I guess I just felt really good on clay.”
Fritz backed up his Munich run with some equally impressive showings at ATP Masters 1000 level in Madrid. The American reached the semi-finals in the Spanish capital, where he defeated two high-quality players on clay, Argentines Sebastian Baez and Francisco Cerundolo, en route.
It was a second Masters 1000 semi-final run on clay for Fritz, who considers his run to the same stage at the 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters as his most important mental breakthrough on the surface.
He defeated the Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka and Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka, the 2015 Roland Garros winner, before downing then-World No. 3 and defending Monte-Carlo titlist Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals.
“I feel like last year in Monte-Carlo, I got by two kind of tough matches, where I didn’t feel like I played great,” recalled Fritz. “Then I played on centre court against Stef and I felt really comfortable. I guess I just felt really good on clay.”
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
De Minaur at the 2024 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Alex de Minaur beat 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal on clay in April in Barcelona. Photo Credit: Pau Barrena/AFP via Getty Images
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
'Absolute Battles'
De Minaur's dual upbringing included cutting teeth on Spanish clay
“Basically, every kid wants to win over here, and you have absolute battles.”
Alex de Minaur is in no doubt about the impact his partial upbringing in Spain had on his tennis. The Australian’s renowned competitive spirit was first harnessed on the clay courts of Alicante.
“I think I learnt how to win matches from a young age here in Spain,” De Minaur told ATPTour.com last year. “You play on the clay, you can play matches for three or four hours as a little kid, and whether [your opponent] is moonballing or anything, you’ve got to find a way to win.”
De Minaur credits those early developmental days in Spain for his ability to disarm more powerful opponents with his relentless chasing and variety of shots. Born in Sydney to a Uruguayan father and Spanish mother, De Minaur’s childhood featured two different homes, two different sets of friends, but also two contrasting styles of tennis.
“From a young age, I wasn’t the biggest or the strongest guy, so that allowed me to think outside the box and how to find different ways that I could win tennis matches,” said De Minaur, who spent time in both Australia and Spain throughout his childhood. “That developed a lot of different shots in my game. The drop shot, coming to the net, all these kinds of things.”
"In the past, maybe mentally I wasn’t really ready to tell myself I was going to be good on the clay."
Like Fritz, De Minaur is still chasing his maiden clay-court title on the ATP Tour. The 25-year-old has played the best tennis of his career in the past few months, however, and he believes he has undergone an important mentality shift when it comes to the surface he historically favours least.
“I think with every year of experience I look forward to the clay season even more,” said De Minaur after he defeated Wawrinka in April in Monte-Carlo. “I look at it in a way that there is no reason I can’t get good results. In the past, maybe mentally I wasn’t really ready to tell myself I was going to be good on the clay. That, plus I put on a little bit of weight, put on a bit of muscle.
“Clay-court tennis is always so physical and there is a lot of strength involved, so I’ve put on a couple of kilos and hopefully it helps me this clay season.”
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Ask The Experts!
Five-time clay champion Rublev reveals secrets to his success
Andrey Rublev is no stranger to standing in the winners' circle on clay. The 26-year-old has won six of his 16 ATP Tour titles on the surface, including the biggest of his career at the 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open.
Growing up in Moscow, Rublev played regularly on clay, albeit only for a few short summer months when the weather was suitable. He remembers immediately taking to it due to its relatively slow-paced nature.
“As a kid I liked it a lot because I felt I had much more time,” said Rublev, who reached his career high of No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2021. “I could still hit the ball hard compared to some other kids and I had much more time, so I was able to control the speed, basically.
“Many tournaments were indoors, and the surfaces were ultra fast. Even a kid who didn’t know how to hit hard was touching the ball and the ball was going super fast. That’s why I liked clay a lot as a kid, because going on clay gave them no chance.”
Rublev has now been an established member of the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings since 2020. His performances on clay have played a large part in him forging a reputation as one of the most consistent players on Tour. As someone who has excelled on all surfaces, what specific fundamental changes does Rublev make to his game for the clay season?
“When you switch to the clay you try to adjust your tennis a bit, because it’s a different game,” he said. “You need to move differently compared to hard courts. You need to use more topspin, play higher over the net, more angles. On hard courts, you don’t need to use it that often.”
Rublev unleashes a forehand in Madrid, 2024. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
The Coach's View
Norrie's coach Facundo Lugones talks the keys to clay
Of course, adapting to clay is not just about hitting the ball differently, as Norrie’s coach Facundo Lugones explains.
“I think the toughest part is the movement, more than hitting the ball,” Lugones told ATPTour.com. “The tough part is to move and hit, defend, and be set on the point. Be balanced, and don’t start falling apart. I think that's the part that Cam struggled with the most at the beginning.”
Lugones says that the length or frequency of practices do not normally change for clay. Instead, the focus and structure of sessions are adjusted.
“Especially the first couple of weeks of preparing for clay tournaments, the player needs to make some adjustments in his game,” explained Lugones. “Like his court position, if he uses just one shot more than another one, his serve, his return position, which return he is going to use.
“On clay, maybe return with a little more shape, rather than returning inside the court like he might do on grass or hard courts. Little adjustments he needs to get used to that suit the surface better than other ones. Cam has the ability to make those adjustments pretty well. That's why he had success on all surfaces.”
"There are a lot of players that are very good on clay, and they're going to make your life really tough.”
As Norrie, Tiafoe, Fritz and De Minaur have proven, you do not have to have been born hitting balls on clay to win matches on it. Indeed, Lugones believes that the top players will ultimately shine through, no matter their tennis upbringing, as long as they are ready to dig deep.
“Sometimes, yes, the surface plays a role, but good players are going to be good on anything,” he said. “I think on clay, you just have to have that mindset of working extra hard and being a little more patient, knowing that it's not going to be easy to hit someone off the court.
“You have to do a little more. There are a lot of players that are very good on clay, and they're going to make your life really tough.”
The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters is one of the world's most famous clay-court tournaments. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters is one of the world's most famous clay-court tournaments. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
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