The King of Clay now looks to reign on grass

If ever there was any debate about Spain’s Rafael Nadal being the all-time King of Clay, it was well and truly settled as the 31-year-old from Mallorca dominated the 2017 clay court season with an incredible run that culminated in a record-breaking 10th French Open title at Roland Garros.

Nadal didn’t drop a set during his historic victory in Paris, sealing it with a convincing win over former champion Stan Wawrinka. That victory made him the first player of the year to qualify for the prestigious ATP Finals in London at the end of the season, where he no doubt will have a strong chance to finish as year-end No 1.

The Spaniard became the first player in the Open era to win 10 titles at a specific Grand Slam and he now climbs to second place on the all-time Grand Slam singles titles list, separating himself from Pete Sampras with his 15th career title, just three behind long-time rival Roger Federer.

But the French victory was just one part of a glorious run on the clay that saw Nadal reach several other historic milestones along the way. In addition to his 10th win at the French, Nadal also became the first player in ATP history to secure the “triple 10” when he captured 10th victories at both the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open. For good measure Nadal also won the Madrid Open – his fifth title at that tournament.

In all Nadal won 24 of his 25 matches on clay this season – his only loss coming in Rome to Dominic Thiem.

While Nadal deservedly stole the lion’s share of the clay court season’s headlines, there were a number of other great performances highlighted by two victories for fast-rising superstar Alexander Zverev from Germany.

The tall, big serving German secured his first win of the season indoors in Montpellier in February and then added wins at the BMW Open in Munich and the Italian Open in Rome.

The highly talented 20-yearold has now set himself for a run at two major season-ending tournaments. He currently leads the race to the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and is also in contention for the ATP Finals.

The Next Gen ATP Finals will see players born in 1996 or later competing in Milan for the prestigious title and more than $1.2 million in November. The exciting new tournament which showcases the game’s up-and-coming stars, will also see several new rule changes aimed at creating a high-tempo, cutting edge and TV-friendly product, geared towards attracting new and younger fans into the sport.

Firstly, there will be a shorter format, with players competing in a first-to-four games set, designed to increase the number of pivotal moments in a match. The sets will also feature No-Ad scoring. Matches will start exactly five minutes after player walk-on, reducing pre-match downtime and a Shot Clock will be used between points to ensure strict regulation of the 25-second rule as well as during set breaks and Medical TimeOuts.

A No-Let Rule will apply to serves, Medical Time Outs will be limited to one per player per match and players and coaches will be able to communicate at certain points during the match. There will be less restrictions on spectator movement during matches to encourage a fan-friendly atmosphere.

The whole concept brings something new to the table and recognises that the sports and entertainment landscape is changing rapidly as are the ways fans are consuming the sport. The event will take place on a singles-only court featuring the best seven qualified 21-and-Under players of the season along with one wildcard.

As we approach the halfway point in the season, there is lots more to look forward to as the time comes to put the clay to bed and head to the other traditional and historic surface in tennis, and that is grass.

With an expanded run into Wimbledon, players now have more time to adjust their games from the clay to the unique demands of grass and no doubt the swing will produce a number of storylines every bit as exciting as the clay season did.

After taking time out from the clay, Roger Federer looms as one of the big headline-grabbers as he returns to action in his attempt to add to his already exceptional grasscourt record and perhaps secure a stunning eighth Wimbledon title at the end of the swing.

The grass court season runs through ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Stuttgart, Halle, London, Eastbourne and Antalya in Turkey before the third Grand Slam of the year at Wimbledon, and looks set to add to the excitement that an incredible 2017 ATP Tour has already produced.

* Chris Kermode is the executive chairman and president of the ATP. Don’t miss his exclusive column in the Saturday Citizen.