Rafael Nadal or Chris Evert? There has been a long debate in the tennis world about which of these two is the greatest of all time on clay courts. On one side, there’s Stubbs’ incredible 94.55% win rate on this surface with 125 straight matches on a surface, greater than even that of Nadal’s 81-match winning streak. And then on the other side, there is this 14-time French Open champion who had an 81-match winning streak on clay between 2005 and 2007.
Nadal ended his career with a 90.5% win rate on clay. Evert has won 18 major titles in her career. And guess what? Seven of them came on this surface. However, despite being herself the ‘Queen of Clay’, in 2014 when Rafa won the French Open title for the ninth time in his career, she hailed him as “the greatest clay courter ever“. However, in an era where we saw sheer dominance from the ‘Big 4’, there are times when the tennis world forgets the legacy of these tennis legends who paved the way for players like Nadal, Murray, and others. Addressing all those snubs, America’s Andy Roddick has yet again stepped in to highlight a legacy on clay.
According to Roddick, Evert deserves more credit for her dominance on clay, and he feels her name should always be mentioned alongside Rafael Nadal. During the recent episode of ‘Served’, Roddick said, “Chrissy’s stats, if you read them back on clay, for a moment in time. They need to be discussed – and I am not saying they are the same as Rafa’s because they are not – but they need to be mentioned whenever anyone is talking about Rafa’s clay dominance.“
He further added, “I think we all give Chrissy all the flowers that she deserves, but in the context of the conversation around dominance on one surface, she needs to be right there in the first three names every single time.” Highlighting her incredible feats, Andy Roddick went on to mention, “125 straight matches on a surface is over years. That is absurd. It needs to be right up there. As dominant as Pete was on grass, Chrissy was more dominant on clay.”
Chris Evert poses for portrait during 2017 Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic at Boca Raton Resort Club in Florida. | Courtesy: Getty
Talking about her dominance on clay, Evert went six years without losing on this surface. Chris Evert won her first French Open title in 1974, and her last one came in 1986, where she defeated her long-time friend and rival Martina Navratilova in the final. Evert ended her career with a 72-6 record on the Parisian clay. Talking about her own dominance on clay, she once said, “I had so much more confidence playing at the French Open than anywhere else. On the court, on clay, I felt like no one was going to beat me. This is the surface I grew up on. It suits me perfectly. No one can overpower me. No one can blow me off the court. I am more patient than anyone. I’m going to hit with depth and placement and just wear them down.“
Getting back to her comparison with Rafael Nadal, she played in the 70s and 80s when wooden rackets ruled and athleticism was limited to a certain extent. But on the other hand, the Spaniard played in the era of sports science specialists. Rafa has more French Open titles, but Evert has a better win percentage.
Chris Evert has won more French Open titles than any other woman to date and also has the most number (66) of clay court titles of any other women’s tennis player. Who, according to her, has the higher chance of breaking her record on the women’s side?
Evert names the women’s player who has a good chance of breaking her incredible record
In March 2024, Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, stated that she feels Iga Swiatek could well pass Chris Evert’s (7) and Steffi Graf’s (6) French Open tally shortly. Currently, Swiatek has won five Grand Slam titles in her career, and four out of them have been at Roland Garros. Highlighting her incredible performances on clay, Stubbs said, “I think Iga can win eight French opens, actually think she can win more than eight but I think she can win at least eight French Opens.”
Not only Stubbs a few months later, when Swiatek clinched the 2024 French Open title, Justin Henin also claimed that Swiatek would win a few more titles at Roland Garros, but she said the exact number is pretty hard to predict. What does Chris Evert have to say about Swiatek’s dominance on clay?
Previously, Evert heaped praise on Swiatek’s hunger for success by drawing a similarity with herself. She also claimed Swiatek hits the ball “harder than a man.” Later on, after seeing the Pole’s title triumph at the 2024 French Open, Chris Evert joked, “Yeah, I think about it (Swiatek surpassing her French Open title haul) everyday when I put my head on the pillow, I’m worried about Iga. No, I think Iga will end up with double digits, not only beating my seven.“
The 2025 French Open is knocking at the door. Do you think Swiatek can retain her crown this time by clinching her fifth title at the iconic clay court event?
The post Overshadowed by Rafael Nadal? Chris Evert’s Iconic Clay Record Resurfaces Amid Stirring Call for Recognition appeared first on EssentiallySports.
