In the shadow of Rafael Nadal: Where does Novak Djokovic rank in the clay GOAT debate?

Novak Djokovic has found a place among the clay court greats despite playing second fiddle to Rafael Nadal throughout his career. Rafael Nadal has been the undisputed 'King of Clay', but Djokovic might end his career a lot closer to the Spaniard's clay court achievements than once thought.

From early in his career, Djokovic dominated the hard courts in Australia and the lush greens in Wimbledon, but never really enjoyed his time on the red clay in Paris. However, the Serbian has changed that in the last decade to be regarded as one of the all-time great clay court players.

Novak Djokovic and his early struggles on the clay court

Novak Djokovic won his first-ever French Open title in 2016

While a dominant force in world tennis, it took Djokovic a while before he could crack the clay code. During the initial years of his career, the Serbian struggled to adjust his game to the needs of clay and often fell short in his quest for French Open glory.

It took Djokovic 12 years to win his first French Open title after finally claiming the throne by defeating Andy Murray 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, in the 2016 final. The Serbian had reached the finals twice and the semi-finals five times before eventually claiming the Roland Garros title.

Aside from Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic is the only player to win multiple French Open titles since the Spaniard's clay court debut in 2005. Such has been Nadal's dominance in Paris that even the great Roger Federer managed to only win the French Open once in his career.

However, Novak Djokovic has made a name for himself during this 'Nadal Era'. The Serbian has an 81.73% win rate on clay courts, which is astonishingly his lowest compared to other surfaces. He has won six Italian Open titles, three Madrid Open titles, and two Monte-Carlo Masters titles to go with his three French Open triumphs.

Novak Djokovic's record against Rafael Nadal at the French Open

Beating Rafael Nadal at the French Open is the toughest task in men's tennis and the history proves it. The Spaniard has only lost thrice at Roland Garros, with two of those three defeats coming against Novak Djokovic.

The Serbian star knocked out Nadal in straight sets in the 2015 quarter-finals, followed by a 3–6, 6–3, 7–6(4), 6–2 semi-final win in 2021, on his way to the title.

Novak Djokovic is also the player to beat Rafael Nadal the most times on clay. While other players have struggled to defeat the Spaniard even once, Djokovic has beaten Nadal eight times on the clay court.

These stats further prove that Djokovic has excelled on clay courts despite competing with Rafael Nadal. However, are these records enough to compare the Serbian with the other clay-court greats?

Is Novak Djokovic the second-best clay player behind Rafael Nadal?

There are players in the Open Era who have achieved more success than Djokovic on clay. However, the Serbian was competing with Rafael Nadal, while the others weren't.

Bjorn Borg won six French Open titles between 1974 and 1981. The Swedish star has the second-most title wins in Paris behind Rafael Nadal, however, he was the best clay court player at the time and the competition was weak compared to this era.

Novak Djokovic is the joint third in most French Open title wins with three, tied with Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander, however, it is the way he has achieved it which makes it more special. The Serbian has been competing with the likes of Andy Murray, Roger Federer, and of course, Rafael Nadal, whose record on clay is unmatched.

While there are players with better French Open records than Djokovic, they never had the same competition as the Serbian. Djokovic has fought his way into clay court greatness and with time still on his side, the 36-year-old can further add more titles to his name.

While Nadal sits atop his throne as the greatest clay court player of all time, Djokovic has made his way into the conversation as the second-best, and as the Serbian would know, there's no shame in being second to Rafael Nadal on clay.