The 10 men with the most clay-court titles: Rafael Nadal top with 63 as Novak Djokovic wins his 20th

Ewan West
Rafael Nadal and Guillermo Vilas make up the top two for most ATP clay titles
Rafael Nadal and Guillermo Vilas make up the top two for most ATP clay titles

Rafael Nadal has won more titles on clay than any other man and his unparalleled dominance on the surface has earned him the ‘King of Clay’ title.

There are 10 men who have won 20 or more titles on clay courts in the Open Era, with Novak Djokovic becoming the latest to join this list after his 2024 Paris Olympics victory.

Here, we look at the 10 players with the most ATP singles titles on clay-courts.

=9. Novak Djokovic – 20

Novak Djokovic has secured 20 of his 99 titles on clay, with his first tournament win coming on clay at the 2006 Dutch Open, while his most recent was at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As well as his gold medal, the Serbian’s clay titles include three French Opens, 11 Masters 1000 events and five ATP 250 tournaments.

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=9. Mats Wilander – 20

Mats Wilander won the first of his 33 career titles at the 1982 French Open, while his 20th and last clay-court triumph was at the 1988 Palermo Open.

The Swede’s most significant clay-court titles include three Roland Garros crowns, two Monte Carlo titles and a victory in Rome.

8. Jose Luis Clerc – 21

Jose Luis Clerc secured 21 of his 35 ATP titles on clay, including his first at the 1978 Florence Open and his last in Washington in 1983.

The Argentine’s biggest clay-court title came at the 1981 Italian Open, where he defeated Victor Pecci in the final.

7.  Ivan Lendl – 28

Ivan Lendl collected 28 of his 94 career singles titles at clay-court events, including his first in Houston in 1980 and his penultimate title in Munich in 1993.

The Czech-American is a three-time French Open champion, while he also won big clay titles in Rome (twice), Monte Carlo, Hamburg and Forest Hills.

6. Ilie Nastase – 31

Ilie Nastase won the first of his 64 singles titles on clay at the 1968 Colombia International in Barranquilla, while his 31st and final clay-court victory was at the 1977 Aix-en-Provence Open.

The Romanian claimed his second and last Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 1973, while he also won sizeable clay events in Rome and Barcelona.

=4. Bjorn Borg – 32

Bjorn Borg secured the first of his 32 titles on clay courts at the 1974 Italian Open, while his 66th and last career title was on clay at the 1981 Geneva Open.

The Swede won six French Open titles and was also a three-time winner in Monte Carlo and a two-time Italian Open champion.

=4 Manuel Orantes – 32

Manuel Orantes claimed 32 of his 34 ATP titles at clay-court tournaments, with his maiden clay triumph at the 1969 Barcelona Open and his last coming in Bournemouth in 1982.

The Spaniard’s career highlight is beating Jimmy Connors in the final of the 1975 US Open, when the Grand Slam was played on green clay at Forest Hills.

3. Thomas Muster – 40

Thomas Muster won the first of his 44 titles on clay at the 1986 Dutch Open, while his 40th and final clay-court tournament win was in Bogota in 1996.

The Austrian was a French Open champion in 1995 and also secured six Masters series crowns on clay — three in both Monte Carlo and Rome.

2. Guillermo Vilas – 49

Guillermo Vilas earned 49 of his 62 ATP titles at clay-court events, including his first at the 1973 Argentina Open and his last in Kitzbuhel in 1983.

The Argentine won both the French Open and the US Open in 1977 (the last year in which the latter was played on clay) and was also an Italian Open champion.

1. Rafael Nadal – 63

Nadal has secured 63 of his 92 singles titles to date on clay, including his maiden title in Warsaw in 2004 and his most recent at the 2022 French Open.

The Spaniard has won the most titles at Roland Garros (14), the Barcelona Open (12), the Monte Carlo Masters (11) and the Italian Open (10), and has also won a record four Madrid Open titles since the event switched to clay.

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