The 9 men with the most clay court wins of 2023: Carlos Alcaraz tops list
After the South American swing earlier in the season, the European clay court season is well and truly among us.
And few events attract as much attention as the Monte Carlo Masters, which is currently underway.
With an always fascinating part of the season now underway, we look at the seven men who thrived on the surface last year and picked up the most match victories.
1) Carlos Alcaraz – 25 wins
Alcaraz is yet to win at Roland Garros but his clay prowess is undeniable, with a leading 25 match wins on the surface last year.
He began in 2023 by winning the title in Buenos Aires and reaching the final in Rio, before a strong run in Europe.
Consecutive titles came on home soil in Barcelona and Madrid and, while he only won one match in Rome, he also made it to his first French Open semi-final in Paris.
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2) Casper Ruud – 22 wins
One of the most prominent clay court specialists on the ATP, Ruud picked up an impressive 22 wins on the surface last year, despite a disappointing season overall.
The highlight was undoubtedly a second straight Roland Garros final for the Norwegian, winning six matches in Paris, while he claimed his 10th ATP Title in Estoril.
Other notable results for Ruud on the dirt in 2023 included a run to the final in Bastad later in the summer, and a semi-final run in Rome.
No worries my friend @HubertHurkacz !
You owe me dinner now btw.. https://t.co/LfQHKDrqv0— Casper Ruud (@CasperRuud98) April 7, 2024
3) Alexander Zverev – 20 wins
After taking some time to rediscover his best form following injury, Zverev ultimately produced a strong clay season in 2023.
He picked up multiple wins in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome and then made it to a third straight semi-final at Roland Garros – where he lost to Ruud.
But perhaps the highlight of his season came on home clay in Hamburg, where he won five matches to claim the first title of his comeback.
=4) Andrey Rublev – 19 wins
One of three players on 19 clay wins last season, Rublev proved to be Mr Consistent across the surface last year.
Rublev started the 2023 swing with the biggest title of his career at the Monte Carlo Masters and then won a second clay court title of the season in Bastad last summer.
The world No 6 also reached the final in Banja Luka and picked up a handful of wins across Roland Garros, Madrid, and Rome.
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=4) Sebastian Baez – 19 wins
A true clay court specialist, Argentine rising star Baez picked up two titles on his favoured surface in 2023.
During the South American swing, he triumphed on home soil in Cordoba, and later in the summer he picked up a second title of the season by prevailing in Kitzbuhel.
Baez also picked up multiple wins in Estoril and Lyon, though will hope he can make more of an impact at the biggest events this year.
=4) Tomas Martin Etcheverry – 19 wins
Much like his compatriot Baez, Etcheverry picked up 19 wins out of 31 matches in a busy year on the dirt.
His most notable run came at Roland Garros where he reached the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time, though he also reached finals in Houston and Santiago – the first two ATP finals of his career.
Runs to the semi-final in Kitzbuhel and the last eight in Santiago and Buenos Aires saw him make this list.
=7) Nicolas Jarry – 18 wins
One of the most successful Chilean players of recent times, 2023 was a landmark year for Jarry, particularly on clay.
Jarry won an emotional title on home soil in Santiago – beating Etcheverry in that final – and also produced the week of his life to win in Geneva.
He also progressed to the last four in Rio, alongside making it to the second week of Roland Garros.
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=7) Francisco Cerundolo – 18 wins
The third and final Argentine to make this list, Cerundolo has been a frequent fixture on the ATP Tour – and particularly on clay – for several years.
2023 saw Cerundolo reach the final in Lyon and reach the fourth round at Roland Garros, alongside a significant quarter-final run in Rome.
He also picked up further wins across tournaments such as Bastad, Monte Carlo, and Barcelona to feature here.
9) Stefanos Tsitsipas – 17 wins
Last season was not the year that the Greek star was hoping for, but he still found some success on what could be his strongest surface.
Tsitsipas was the runner-up in Barcelona and reached another quarter-final at Roland Garros, alongside a semi-final showing in Rome.
Furthermore, he also delivered quarter-final showings in Monte Carlo and Madrid, with the clay season perhaps his highlight of 2023.