Stefanos Tsitsipas wins again on clay – but Rafael Nadal’s incredible record is not under threat
Stefanos Tsitsipas made it ten straight wins on clay courts as he made it through to the final of the Barcelona Open, but he will need to keep this run going for several years to match the all-time successful streak on the surface.
After his impressive win last week’s ATP 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo, Tsitsipas continued his revival on clay courts with a 5-7 6-4 6-2 victory against Dusan Lajovic to in the semi-finals in Barcelona.
In another impressive performance on the red dirt, Tsitsipas overpowered his opponent with his potent forehand as he won 100 per cent (12/12) of his first-serve points in the final set.
“I would say the first game of the second set showed a direction where it felt if I keep up returns and applying constant pressure from the first shot I get to dictate, it might turn around,” said Tsitsipas.
“It was a close game and I lost it but deep in my mind, it was ingrained that if I continue on the same path, something good is waiting. It turned out I was right. I continued to play that kind of tennis.”
Tsitsipas will now play Casper Ruud in the final of a major ATP Tour event for the second week in succession, after his win against the Norwegian in Monte Carlo last weekend and he is expecting his opponent to come at him with different tactics this time.
“I am sure having played someone a few days apart, they will come up with some new plans,” added Tsitsipas.
“These kinds of matches are tricky, playing back to back. I am going to try and work and start that by having a good recovery and work tomorrow towards the final.”
Ruud is relishing the chance to take on Tsitsipas once again after he beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(6) 6-4.
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Remarkably for a player of his ranking, Ruud will be aiming to win his first Final about ATP 250 level.
“Last week I put a bit too much pressure on myself. I play my best when I’m cool and don’t think too much about it out there. That’s what I did today,” said Ruud.
Tsitsipas will head into the final as favourite to win another title, with his confidence soaring after a sparkling start to the clay court season.
Yet he has a long way to go before he starts to trouble the record books of all-time great clay court winning runs.
That record is held and will probably will always be held by the great Rafael Nadal.
The Spaniard’s incredible unbeaten run on clay courts between 2005 and 2007 was extended to 81 matches, as he exploded onto the tennis scene and quickly dominated on his favourite surface.
The closest challenger to that record is Argentine great Guillermo Vilas, who went 53 games unbeaten on clay courts .
Swedish legend Bjorn Borg went 43 games unbeaten on clay courts in the late 1970s, but Nadal dominates these statistics.
Not only does he stand alone at the top of the clay court win streak charts with those 81 wins, he also had runs of 37, 33, and 30 wins on clay courts during a career that has seen him win an incredible 14 French Open titles.
Tsitsipas would need to keep his current run on clay running for around seven years to get close to that Nadal record, but there is no doubt he is a player to watch leading into this year’s French Open.
