Share

Nadal's success on clay will 'never be repeated'

Cape Town - Rafael Nadal's success on the clay courts will never be repeated, Monte Carlo Masters tournament director Zeljko Franulovic has claimed.

The European clay court season is set to get underway later this month, with Monte Carlo its first port of call.

Nadal missed much of the hard court Sunshine Double in America with a knee injury, but he will be back for clay and, as ever, will be the overwhelming favourite to dominate.

And, according to Franulovic, we should be enjoying the Spaniard while we still can.

"There will be not a Nadal's heir as a player or character," Franulovic told We Love Tennis. "It's impossible to find a new Nadal on clay.

"There are less clay-courts specialists, on the contrary of what you could see in the past with Spaniards or Italians. The current Tour makes you flexible.

"(Novak) Djokovic plays well on clay the way he does on hard or grass, as well as (Alexander) Zverev and (Dominic) Thiem as well who just won in Indian Wells."

Tennis in general has taken an unusual turn this year, with a large amount of different tournament winners already. Franulovic says that's great for the sport, but it was also inevitable.

"It's absolutely unbelievable," he added.

"That's not normal, on the best days of the Big Four that was impossible. This is a sign of change for tennis. But it had to happen."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE