This has not happened in 29 years: The 2024 season will be the first since 1995 in which no Spanish tennis player has won a clay tournament on the men’s circuit before the start of Roland Garros.the only Grand Slam played on that surface and resumes on Sunday.
Included in the records are the first months of the year a single title for a Spanish racket, achieved by Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells, played on a hard court.
But Not in the clay dust, traditional home of ‘the Navy’ victories. After almost three decades of victories (not counting the 2020 pandemic), the land escaped the Spanish for the first time.
The situation of Rafael Nadalthe best player in history on the red court and trying to rejoin the circuit after several months of absence, with Alcaraz irregularityalso because of his physical problems and, in general, the lack of results even in 500 or 250 category contestshas led to this void.
The ATP table faithfully reflects the panorama. After Alcaraz, at number three there is no other Spaniard until step 34, which is occupied by Alexander Davidovich. In 49 figures Pedro Martinezat 62 Roberto Carballesat 63 Jaume Munar and in the 80s, Roberto Bautista. Nadal appears in position 276.
Doing so In just two years, at this point in the season, there are eleven Spaniards in the top 100, four in the top 20 and two in the top-10, Nadal and Alcaraz.
Those who came closest to winning a land race this year were Roberto Carballesfinalist in Marrakech, Pedro Martinezfinalist in Estoril and semi-finalist in Santiago de Chile, and Carlos Alcarazsemi-finalist in Buenos Aires (all ATP 250).
Other circuit tournaments already played on clay in 2024 are those in Córdoba (Argentina), Rio de Janeiro (ATP 500), Houston (ATP 250), Monte Carlo (ATP 1,000), Barcelona (ATP 500), Bucharest ( ATP 250). ), Munich (ATP 250), Madrid (ATP 1,000) and Rome (ATP 1,000). Those in Geneva and Lyon will be held this week, also in the 250 category, today without the Spaniards.
Back in 1995 Albert Costa was a finalist in Casablanca and Estoril and Sergi Bruguera was a finalist in Romebut no one had won on clay (or any other surface) before Roland Garros.
In these three decades, the Spanish participation in Roland Garros has always been preceded by multiple titles on clay. The the peaks were nine in 2009 and 2013. In 2019, it was just one, Nadal in Rome, days before winning the twelfth of his fourteen titles at Roland Garros.
But its average 29 years, with 123 Spanish men’s titles on dirt before arriving in Parisgives the figure of more than four per season.
In 1995, this last time came up empty, There are eleven Spaniards in the top-100, led by Sergi Bruguera in 7th place. He won the two previous editions of Roland Garros.
Since then, members of several memorable generations of Spanish tennis have lifted the trophy with dirt-stained socks, such as Tomás Carbonell, Alex Corretja, Albert Costa, Carlos Moyá, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Robredo, Nicolás Almagro or David FerrerBesides others.
Source: La Verdad
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