The King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, returns to his favorite surface this week at Monte Carlo.
This is the first clay court event in Rafa's build up to the French Open which he has also won 10 times!!
Here are 10 amazing clay stats to know about the world's best ever clay court player.
He’s won 28 of his last 29 matches on clay. It's a stretch dating back to the 2016 French Open; his only loss in that time came against Dominic Thiem in last year's Rome quarterfinals. He’s also won his last 26 sets on clay, and 65 of his last 69.          

He has a 391-35 career win-loss record on clay. Nadal’s combined win-loss record on all other surfaces is an excellent 488-151, but on clay he’s an incredible 391-35 .

He’s won Monte Carlo, Barcelona and the French Open 10 times each. Nadal is the only man in the Open Era to win any event 10 times—and he’s done it at three different clay court events.

He’s the only man in tennis history to win the same Grand Slam title 10 times. Nadal’s 10 French Opens—2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017—put him alongside Margaret Court as the only players, male or female, to win the same Grand Slam title 10 times (she won 11 Australian Opens).

He’s won one of every five French Opens in the Open Era. Last year’s French Open was the 50th French Open since the Open Era began back in 1968.

He’s won more ATP clay-court titles than anyone else in the Open Era. Nadal’s 53 career clay court titles is an Open Era record; the previous record-holder was Guillermo Vilas, with 49.               
He’s 82-17 in his career against Top 10 players on clay. On all other surfaces combined, Nadal has a 71-66 career record against Top 10 players, but on clay he’s a much scarier 82-17.

He’s 32-4 against the rest of the current Top 10 on clay. Nadal won’t be intimidated by the current Top 10 on clay—he’s a combined 32-4 against them on the surface. Thiem and Roger Federer (who again isn’t even playing the clay season this year) have two wins each.

He’s 79-2 at the French Open. Nadal has lost just two matches in his career at Roland Garros: in the fourth round in 2009, to Robin Soderling; and in the quarterfinals in 2015, to Novak Djokovic.

He’s 63-4 at next week’s event in Monte Carlo. Nadal’s only four losses at the first Masters 1000 event of the year on clay came in the third round in 2003, to Guillermo Coria; the final in 2013, to Djokovic; the quarterfinals in 2014, to David Ferrer; and the semifinals in 2015, to Djokovic.

                  
What club players can learn from Rafa about how to play better on clay.....1 - Nadal's fitness is incredible both in terms of his speed and ability to keep going even during the longest of rallies/matches.
Club player - Improve your general levels of fitness which will allow you to stay in the point longer and recover quickly for the next one. When Agassi lost to Wilander in the French Open final many years ago he vowed never to lose a match again for a lack of conditioning! An easy (and more fun way) of improving tennis fitness is just to feed in the ball without the serve and play out the point preferably singles as much more exercise! Or you can sprint up hills like Agassi used to do! Some gym work wouldn't do any harm either!
2 - Nadal's ability to slide and defend the court plus reach short balls at the end of a slide helps him to stay in points which for many players would be lost.

Club player - Learning to slide on a clay court is fundamental for any aspiring player and this can be learned! The first step would be to practise sliding on a clay court without necessarily hitting the ball and then progress to small slides trying to time it so that you stop just before you hit the ball.
It's important to have a strong core in order to slide effectively so an element of off court training is essential.
It's also much easier to slide on a warm clay court than on a wet damp one like the ones we generally have in the UK! (so why not come with us to Italy?).

3 - Nadal's use of heavy topspin on his forehand combined with excellent dropshots make it very difficult for his opponents to ever get settled in a rally.

Club Player - we may not all be able to generate the same amount of spin and racket head speed as Rafa, but learning to hit even a small amount of topspin can be extremely useful on clay with the higher bounces. If you can get the ball high to a club player's backhand (or forehand if they have an eastern grip) you will have more chance of a short ball or error.
Dropshots must also be developed as they are more effective on clay courts due to the responsive nature of the courts i.e. hit with some backspin the ball will bounce up or even backwards!

4 - Nadal uses his 1st serve on clay to gain an advantage in the rally more than trying to win the point with a flat serve. His use of slice or topspin on the 1st serve is more effective on clay, due to the slow, high bouncing nature of the court which allows opponents more time to return even a fast serve. 

Club Player - Getting the 1st serve in with topspin or slice is much more important since a flat, faster serve comes through at a nice height for the returner. This goes for both singles and doubles.

5 - Nadal's greatest quality is his mental resilience in my opinion. This is a huge factor on any surface, but in particular on clay as it's much more difficult to win a point quickly. Rafa very rarely loses if the match goes to a 3rd set and is even less likely to lose in the 5th set largely due to his mental abilities.

Club Player - Assuming you have enough legs (fitness) then you have more chance of being mentally resilient as the match goes on. You need to be willing to suffer and work hard both mentally and physically.

With the competitive season almost upon us for most UK clubs, here are my top tips to help you be ready, and increasing your chances of success!

1. Is your equipment in good working order? In particular get a stringer to check that your strings are the right ones for your level and that the tension isn't too low (or high!)String types/tensions can vary depending upon game style, age etc. Please see a previous BLOG for details.
2. Are you physically ready? Get a diagnostic test of your current physical condition from an experienced trainer and begin an exercise programme particular to your own requirements which will help avoid injury and improve performance.
3. Is your game ready for competition? Have an individual lesson with an experienced coach who will help you formulate a plan for improving your game. Avoid coaches who are overly technical in their approach. Find someone who will work more on tactics and the feel of your shots - especially when close to match season! Major technical issues need a lot of time and for adults not always a great idea in my opinion to be working on "how to" close to competition time!

                                  
4. Are you ready mentally for the stress of match play? This is perhaps the most important area to contend with and usually most overlooked. Many club players who are not used to competing on a regular basis may experience major difficulties early in the season when they are becoming used to the stress of competition! 
There are some things you could do to help improve your mental state before even the first match.

• Play practice matches against other teams in your own club - this can be quite stressful especially for the higher ranked players/teams who may be worried about losing to a lower ranked player/team! Easy to arrange as long as the higher teams agree to play!!
• Then you could arrange at least one practice match against another club who are perhaps not in your league, but are of a similar level. Make sure you play using the same format and if possible a similar time to match play conditions. This can help enormously getting some of the mental cobwebs removed.
• Get your own team together for a social event which always helps with team bonding and cohesion. Could be as simple as a meal out together or for the more adventurous go-karting or even a karaoke night! Your choice!
• If doubles only (usually the case in the UK) then sort out partnerships early on and be smart about who plays with who as people generally need to like their partner on and off the court.                                                                
• Try and get a club sponsor for t-shirts to be made for all teams. A feeling of identity and club loyalty can be developed and it looks great, plus scares opponents!

FINALLY if all else fails come on our Tuscan Tennis Holiday to Trapani in Sicily where I will explain all of the above in fine details! Only 8 spaces left!
      
Hosted Week with Ian & Laura
Trapani, Sicily 20th to 27th May - Adults only
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For those of you who prefer not to drive then Trapani is a great option as we can arrange transfers to and from the tennis club with the possibility to walk out your door in the evening with a huge variety of wonderful eating places, bars and street nightlife! Experience a part of Sicily relatively untouched by mainstream tourism.

What's Included:

• 18 hours of tennis including coaching, doubles clinic, matchplay, tournament PLUS free court time
• Video analysis and two hours play on Monday morning (10am - 12 noon)
• An individual tennis goal sheet to work on during the week - discussed with you during the video analysis
• Social tennis for two hours on Monday afternoon
• Two hours group coaching per day (10am - 12 noon) Tuesday to Saturday with a maximum of 4 - 6 per group (usually 4)
• Extra free court time during the week 
• A doubles clinic on Tuesday afternoon - tactically based for all standards
• Quality Italian lunch daily Monday to Saturday
• Fun tournament with prizes at the end of the week - with local Sicilians!
• Use of the tennis club facilities which include 3 red clay courts, 2 hard courts. a fully equipped gym, a snack bar and restaurant plus a TV room with Sky channels
• One accompanied trip during the week to introduce you to Ian and Laura's Sicily - an afternoon trip to the local island of Favignana - including an easy cycling tour to all the best sports for sightseeing and swimming (lunch is included)
• Optional meals at our favourite restaurants with the group on Tuesday and Saturday (with awards) - cost of meal not included
• Complimentary Tuscan Tennis t-shirt
• The invaluable local knowledge of Ian and Laura who can introduce you to the best the area has to offer
• Our local info guide

For more information on accommodation/flights/car hire etc please email laura@tuscantennis.com
We also have Special Hosted Weeks in Florence, Lucca & Sardinia plus tailored holidays at all other times of the year...Trapani (Sicily) May 20th to 27th (Adults Only) 8 spaces left
Florence 21st to 28th July (Adults Only) 13 spaces left
​Florence 28th July to 4th August (All Welcome)
Lucca 18th to 25th August (All Welcome)
Lucca 25th August to 1st September (Adults Only) 1 space left
Sardinia 1st to 8th September (Adults Only) 4 spaces left

Click on the locations in blue above for more information.....
Detailed above are the dates for the Ian & Laura Special Hosted Weeks for 2018, but we can arrange holidays for any duration outwith these dates.......drop Laura an email and she will send you full details....
laura@tuscantennis.com 

After watching Federer dismantle Zverev in the final at Halle on Sunday 6/1 6/2 I can see Fed as the clear favourite for Wimbledon this year. He was/is simply awesome in almost every department and has even added a variety of drop shots for the grass. This was a shot he never used to believe in but at times he made Zverev look fairly ordinary (which he isn't!). This could be the new strategy that other top players might follow i.e. miss out a few months of tournaments and then come in fresh and blow everyone away?    Apart from Murray and Nadal I can't see any of the others troubling Roger. Kyrgios is dangerous but doesn't look to be in great form after a bereavement in the family. Novak is at Eastbourne trying to find himself as much as his tennis and Agassi will at least help to console him when he loses! Thiem still can't volley and has big swings for grass courts so might struggle and Raonic doesn't seem to be in great shape either. Maybe Marcus Willis will battle through qualifying and become the dark horse? Doubt it but good luck to him as he certainly added to last year's event!
I should mention Feliciano Lopez who did so well to finally win Queens but Wimbledon's courts are a bit slower so his serve might come back too often for his liking? And as much as I like Cilic he is one of the mad ball bouncers before serving which is just too dull!
I'd be delighted if Murray gets a hat trick but equally pleased if Federer goes clear of the Sampras record of 7 titles.   In the women's draw it will be interesting to see how Ostapenko does after her fantastic win at the French which gave the ladies game a much needed boost. Great to see Kvitova back again who could easily win the title again if she has fully recovered, but I would also put Venus Williams down as a great outside bet!
Konta looks to have found a bit of grass court form reaching the final at Nottingham and Heather Watson beat Cibulkova recently and loves the grass so might be an opportunity for her to get her career back on track?e to edit.

Roger said this after his match with Wawrinka.      


​"Stan missed a first serve and then it was a second serve, step in and stay aggressive, come to the net and finish. You vision it, and you do it. And it's so simple, and when you can't play that way. everything becomes so complex. I know I am riding a wave right."
He added: "I think as long as the body is this way and I can remind myself, don't play with fear and don't play with too much pressure and don't try to do well, I'll be able to play like this. But the body needs to be there so the mind will follow."

The first part of this quotation shows the importance of having a strategy, visualising it and sticking to it! It may sound a bit simplistic but it’s so important to make a definite plan and stick with it. The added aspect of visualisation reminds me of Jack Nicklaus who once said that he never hit a shot that he hadn’t first gone through in his mind.                                                  
He then goes on to say, “and don’t try to do well”. In my opinion, this is a key factor in achieving effective mental performance. Of course Roger wants to win but even at this late stage of his incredible career he has managed to discover another level of mental abilities. Playing without “fear” and “too much pressure” has allowed him to express himself to a higher level than ever before. What a change he has made to his backhand return of serve and the general use of coming over the ball more in rallies with this shot. It has now become a new weapon for him! He could always do this but the mental looseness to go from someone who generally blocks the ball back to a player who looks to attack at any opportunity is a massive change and requires awareness of how to control your emotions and be willing to lose.
I’ve heard Roger talk about how he accepts the possibility of losing. This is all tied up in the new, even more relaxed Roger. By allowing himself to accept the possibility of losing the match in his own mind gives him the freedom to focus on the emotional control of the “here and now”. Staying in the moment, being in the zone are expressions we are all familiar with hearing but how do you get there?
Roger appears to have found a way of finding that magical state of mind on a regular basis but doesn’t take for granted the importance of the body which must be there in the first place. You can be as mentally relaxed as you like but if the body can’t get you to the ball it ain’t going to happen!​

So what do we need to do to emulate Roger?

• Train hard and practise with purpose looking to improve always. If the GOAT needs to improve then why not you?
• Accept the possibility of losing and stop trying so hard to be a winner!
• Decide what your most effective game style is and stick to it – Roger had previously beaten Stan on hard courts with a different game style but had the courage to stick with his new one.
• Don’t be defined by your age!
• And most importantly come on a Tuscan Tennis Holiday and we will help you on your road to becoming a better player whatever your age!

Going for 2 days at the start of the World Tour Finals at the O2 gives you the opportunity to see all the players compete.
Seeing it live allows you to focus in on players in a way watching on the telly doesn’t. So without going into too much statistical analysis just what I did see/observe that may be of interest?

SINGLES

• Murray – His focus & court coverage is just incredible and will be very difficult to beat. I would say now that he’ll win it and I’d love him to beat Novak in the final!

• Djokovic – Observing him during the match with Raonic, I felt he was easily irritated and was in fact rude and impatient with the ball kids. Very disappointing to see and for me says something about his state of mind?
• Stan – In his first match he appeared not to be interested and more or less gave up as a petulant kid would. With tickets costing up to £80 it is just not good enough!
• Cilic – The worst pair of tennis shorts in the history of the game which made Murray’s combat green ones look positively trendy!
• Nishikori – Played solid v Stan and seems motivated to finish as world No 3. So impressive how well he does with such a dodgy serve action. Love his attitude on court.
• Thiem – Saw him Play Monfils and could see him as a future No 1 with such a big all round game.
• Monfils –Always entertaining, but suspect under pressure. 3 double faults in his last service game to lose the match! Hits all the best shots but too many poor ones at important times.

• Raonic – Still not convinced that mentally he is tough enough in the big moments. His reaction on errors at crucial stages is always to look towards his team which shows a lack of resilience in my view. Unless he improves his movement he will always be dangerous but unlikely to beat the top guys.

General Points

• The use of the towel is just so boring when you see it live. I wish they would make the players get the towel themselves and put it back which may speed things up a bit. Raonic gets aced and asks for the towel!

• Doubles - I really fear for the future of mens doubles on this type of court. Average rally length is 2-3 shots and very rarely do the crowd get involved. Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares are wonderful players, but watching them practice is much more fun than seeing a real match.
  
  On a clay court it is much more interesting as there are more rallies and 1 up 1 back play, but on medium to fast courts they are all just too good at serving and covering the net off returns.
• Made me think that it might be a good idea to widen the court for mens doubles at this level making it more difficult for the net player to intervene thereby providing more rallies?
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Sad to see the Bryan bros in decline. Their average 1st serve speed is down considerably – maybe due to injuries? Funny to see they both have strapping on their playing arms – even get injured together!
Murray and Soares to win but Kontinen and Peers outsiders if Peers can stay cool at crucial points.

• O2 venue – This year they’ve taken away 2 of the 3 practice courts and much reduced the Tennis Fan Zone which was a highlight in my view. It’s a great shame and detracts from your visit on what is an expensive day out. I sincerely hope they will return to having 3 practice courts in particular.

• Best coffee/food – The Craft Bar just outside the main entrance has by far the best cappuccino in the whole of the O2 plus great pizza and salads with free fizzy water!

​Serena Williams winning 22 grand slam titles would surely have an impact on participation levels in the states?
African-Americans (Venus too) from Compton, California, winning Grand Slam titles. Who would have thought? Anything's possible? I'm not so sure as I just don't think black people see tennis as an option in the USA as it's just not part of their sporting culture. It's still predominantly a middle class white sport plus of course basketball and pro football are just too dominant on many levels.

A young Scottish lad from Dunblane winning Wimbledon. Who would have thought?......

Will Andy Murray have any level of success in terms of inspiring young players from all sections of society to take up tennis as a sport for life?

Yes, we all watch Wimbledon and get pretty excited when Andy wins (twice now in case you missed that!), but participation levels are not rising.
I'm in no way criticising Murray as he is an incredible tennis player and the ultimate professional. It's just a comment on the sad reality his lack of influence on the nation's willingness to take up tennis. Murray has had an effect on the current crop of British tennis players as they are already committed to the game and have been able to learn from him at close hand. But how can we spread this enthusiasm to the general public and affect a culture change in our sport? 

I was listening to a phone in on the radio post Andy's heroic win (did I mention that?) which was attempting to explore ways of capitalising on Andy's success. One of my fellow Scottish tennis pros spoke of the need for tennis facilities at schools (good idea) while another Scottish tennis guru who works with Judy Murray spoke of their "Tennis on the Road" project which is attempting to develop a workforce throughout Scotland who can promote and encourage lots of new young players to enjoy the game. One of the key elements here is the possibility to play tennis within a short walk or cycle distance from your house. So, if we had courts everywhere with quality instructors/teachers would this make a difference? In the working class scheme where I grew up there were tennis courts in the local public park and many people had the chance to play tennis perhaps more so than in recent times and these courts must be reinstated! (One of Judy's dreams).

Interestingly I discovered recently that in Iceland they invested heavily in building indoor football centres with great coaches for kids and this has been attributed as one of the main reasons for their success at the Euros. Facilities might not be everything but the opportunity to play combined with good coaching sure helps!The two most consistent tennis nations of the last decade have been France and Spain.
In these countries, and in Germany too, most tennis clubs are social hubs where families will go every weekend to hang out, have lunch, drink at the bar, and maybe play some tennis. But perhaps more importantly there is the possibility of accessing courts at most local levels which is fundamental to participation.
These countries also have many thriving domestic leagues and local tournaments: indeed, a lot of Great Britain’s mid-range players, who are not making money on the professional tours, earn extra money in the French and German leagues.
None of these things are true in the United Kingdom. Tennis is just not fundamental to many people's existence and as much as I love the game and have a enjoyed a wonderful life experience as a result, it's just not on many people's radar. A cultural change is required and I would employ Judy Murray and give her all the resources she requires to get it all going. The LTA have a track record of failure and continue to disappoint so it's time to let Judy take over and make it happen. What most people don't realise is that Judy doesn't need to do all the work she does in trying to develop tennis. Many people in her position would not be spending all their time thinking of how to promote tennis and build a legacy on the back of her 2 amazing sons. They would be off sunning themselves around the world at this time of year! 
I only hope that the Scottish government come to their senses and allow her permission to build the her tennis centre near Dunblane. The success of the Murrays has happened despite the system and not because of it so don't let the LTA convince you that all is rosy in British tennis. A cultural change is required asap!! 
Nearly forgot to mention Gordon Reid another Scottish legend who won the wheelchair singles and doubles! A huge congratulations to him and his great coach Karen Ross.