Steffi Graf vs. Serena Williams: Who was the better player on clay?

Steffi Graf of Germany and Serena Williams of the United States are probably the two most genuine contenders for the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) title in women’s tennis. While Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles in her career, Serena won one more to end her career with 23 Grand Slam titles.

The German was the No. 1 player in the world for a record 377 weeks, while Serena reigned supreme for 319 weeks. However, despite all their exploits, neither of them was at their best while playing on clay and both preferred faster surfaces.

Graf’s record on clay is better than Serena’s

However, Graf managed to end with an enviable record on clay, too. She reached nine French Open finals and won the title six times. She also reached four consecutive finals at Roland Garros from 1987 to 1990.

Following Chris Evert's retirement, who was one of the finest players on clay, the German capitalized on a weakened field and won titles on the surface.

However, she was second-best to Monica Seles for a few years and even lost a couple of French Open finals to the latter.

After Seles was stabbed by a Graf fan in 1993, her career took a turn and was never the same again. The German eventually benefitted as she added a few more French Open titles to her tally.

To her credit, Graf also won six Hamburg Open titles and an Italian Open title on clay. She also won four Charleston Open titles on green clay.

Williams, meanwhile, had a decent record on clay. She finished with three French Open titles, having reached four finals at Roland Garros. She also won the Italian Open four times, the Madrid Open twice and the Charleston Open twice.

All of that is quite impressive, but it should rank behind Graf’s exploits on the surface. Wiliams had to deal with Justine Henin-Hardenne, who was the best player on clay of her Generation. Henin-Hardenne beat Serena twice at Roland Garros- first in the semifinals in 2003 and then in the final in 2007.

Serena Williams’ playing style more explosive than Graf's, but the latter had some other better attributes

Serena Williams remains one of the most explosive female players of all time. Her raw power has few equals in the history of the game. Graf was powerful herself, especially for a player who played in the 1980s and 1990s but falls short when compared to Williams' robustness.

Still, the German’s forehand probably remains the most effective shot in tennis history along with Pete Sampras’ serve. On the other hand, Williams' serve and ground-strokes contained prodigious power in them, making her a fantastic player on hard and grass courts.

Graf’s wonderful backhand slice was a weapon on clay, but her one-handed backhand struggled to deal with Seles’ two-hander at times. Serena did not have the slice or top spin of the highest quality in her strokes and preferred to hit her shots flat most of the time.

Moreover, the German was a better mover on the court than the American and all those attributes made her a better player on clay courts than the latter.