Who's the Greatest Clay - Courter of Them All?

The tweet above was one of thousands of congratulatory messages that were sent to the man from Mallorca in the hours after he won his record ninth French Open title, in 2014.

- Stephen Tignor

But the identity of this particular well-wisher—Chris Evert—meant that it had a little more meaning than most. When a woman who once went six years without losing on a surface calls you the “greatest ever” on that same surface, chances are you’ve earned the title.

But in giving the honor to Rafa, did Evert sell herself short?

Since 2012, when Nadal passed Bjorn Borg’s modern-day men’s record of six French Open titles, it has gone without saying that Rafa is the King of Clay. Along with his 72–2 record at Roland Garros, he won 81 straight matches on the surface from 2005 to 2007; he has won two other clay tournaments, Monte Carlo and Barcelona, nine times; he has a men’s-record 49 clay titles in 57 finals; and his career record on dirt is 365–34, for a 91.47 winning percentage.

Still, in a dual-gender sport, the title of king has its limits. What about the women’s side of the crushed-brick aisle? That would be where Chrissie comes in. It may be hard for today’s Rafanatics to believe, but in the 1970s and ’80s the Queen of Clay was every bit as dominant on dirt. Anyone who indulges in a little theoretical tennis history will realize that it’s not so easy to say who is the true ruler of the red stuff.

Before we play the what-if game and set Nadal’s and Evert’s records against each other, it’s worth looking at what these two players had in common, and what that reveals about the surface they each mastered.