The 5 men with the most wins from their first 100 clay matches: ft. Alcaraz and Nadal
Carlos Alcaraz joined Rafael Nadal on an exclusive clay-court list after earning his first-ever win at the Monte Carlo Masters.
The world No 3 defeated world No 22 Francisco Cerundolo 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 in the second round of the prestigious clay event.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, who was forced to miss the last two editions of the Monte Carlo Masters due to injury, lost his only previous match at the tournament to Sebastian Korda in 2022.
“I’m not going to say I was nervous about it, but yes, it’s one of the few tournaments where I haven’t won a match, so I feel great,” Alcaraz said in his press conference.
“I finally got my first win and I’m moving forward. Like I said, this is a very nice tournament where I want to go far, and yes, I think this year it’s a relief to have gotten my first win.”
Alcaraz’s contest with Cerundolo was his 100th tour-level match on clay — and the victory took his outstanding record on the surface to 82-18.
This puts Alcaraz joint-fourth for the most wins earned after 100 clay-court matches among male players in the Open Era.
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Nadal — Alcaraz’s legendary compatriot and idol — registered a remarkable 88 victories from his first century of clay-court matches.
Most wins after first 100 men’s singles matches on clay (Open Era)
1. Ken Rosewall – 90
2. Rafael Nadal – 88
3. Mats Wilander – 84
=4. Tom Okker – 82
=4. Carlos Alcaraz – 82
Alcaraz, who is the reigning French Open champion and an eight-time clay titlist, revealed what he has missed most about playing on the surface on which he grew up.
“I think the battles are tough, and like I said, the serve isn’t as important as it is on hard courts, so I think that’s pretty good for me,” said the four-time Grand Slam winner.
“I think we played almost every point, which makes the match develop even more than on other surfaces. I also like long rallies and getting my socks dirty a bit. That’s what I miss, seeing good tennis.
“I think on clay, you can see real tennis because, like I said, it’s not just about seeing big serves or whatever, or points, and just one or two shots.
“On clay, you see long rallies. For example, yesterday, 48 rallies. That’s what I like, watching tennis and playing here on clay.”
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