Good bye hard courts and hello clay! With spring comes the clay court season that leads to the second Grand Slam of the year, Roland Garros.
Although French players have had little success on this surface in recent years, clay was invented in Cannes, south of France … by English players William and Ernest Renshaw.
Grand Prix Hassan II, Marrakech, 8-14 April
Defending champion: Pablo Andujar
Category: 250
Prize money: €586,140
Who is playing: Pablo Carreno Busta, Kyle Edmund, Gilles Simon, Philipp Kohlschreiber
From 1990 to 2015 the tournament was held annually at the Complexe Al Amal in Casablanca, before relocating to Marrakesh in 2016. It is currently the only ATP event held in Africa. Two Moroccans have won the title on home soil: Hicham Arazi in 1997 and Younes El Aynaoui in 2002. Former champions include Thomas Muster, Gilles Simon, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Stan Wawrinka.
Last year, Pablo Andujar (number 355) became the lowest-ranked ATP champion in 20 years, beating first-time finalist Kyle Edmund to win the Grand Prix Hassan II for a record third time.
Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, 14-21 April
Defending champion: Rafael Nadal
Category: 1000
Prize money: €5,585,030
Who is playing: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Kei Nishikori, Kevin Anderson, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Stan Wawrinka
The first appearance of lawn tennis in the Principality of Monaco was in January 1880, when a court with a covering of lime was laid down on the lawn of the pigeon-shooting range at the rear of the Hotel de Paris. In April 1892 Prince Charles III approved a proposal from Comte Bertora, the administrator of the Société des Bains de Mer, the local authority, for the installation of two permanent clay courts and a croquet lawn.
The first tournament was held in March 1896 and was won by George Hillyard. The following year began the start of the great days of the tournament, supported for a decade by the Doherty brothers.
It changed venue several times but the tournament has always attracted the greatest champions: Nicola Pietrangeli, Ilie Nastase, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander all won here in the past. Rafael Nadal won the title eight consecutive times between 2005 and 2012, making him the first player to win eight titles in a row at the same tournament. Last year, he won the title for the 11th time, dispatching Nishikori 6-3 6-2 in the final.
The first of three Masters 1000 played on clay, the Monte Carlo tournament is a fan favourite thanks to its magnificent location and scenic views on the Mediterranean Sea.
Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, 22-28 April
Defending champion: Rafael Nadal
Category: 500
Prize money: €2,746,455
Who is playing: Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Denis Shapovalov, Karen Khachanov, Fabio Fognini
The Barcelona Open, better known in Spain as Trofeo Conde de Godo or simply Godo has been held at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona 1899 since 1953.
American players won the first five editions of the tournament but only one has won it since: Todd Martin in 1998. All the best clay-court specialists have lift the trophy – that weighs 13 kg! – from Borg to Wilander, Muster to Ferrero. Rafael Nadal has won the singles title a record 11 times. In 2017, the centre court was named “Pista Rafa Nadal”.
The tournament will this year pay tribute to Manuel Orantes to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his first victory here. The 1969 final that Orantes won over Manolo Santana (6-4 7-5 6-4) is registered as the longest is the history of the competition. It started on May 18, but they could barely play 8 games because of rain. As the next day, both players had to travel to Zagreb to play a Davis Cup tie against Yugoslavia, the decision was made to postpone the match, which would resume 4 months later, on September.
– Nadal claims 11th Barcelona title
– Stefanos Tsitsipas makes Greek tennis history in Barcelona
– Barcelona 2018: the Lopez capture the doubles crown
Gazprom Hungarian Open, Budapest, 22-28 April
Defending champion: Marco Cecchinato
Category: 250
Prize money: €586,140
Who is playing: Borna Coric, Marco Cecchinato, Nikoloz Basilashvili, Laslo Djere, Hubert Hurkacz
In 2017, Budapest replaced the former ATP 250 event in Bucharest, Romania. This is the first ATP event hosted in Hungary.
Lucas Pouille was the winner of the inaugural edition, defeating Aljaz Bedene in the final. In 2018, Marco Cecchinato won his first ATP title in Budapest after reaching the final as a lucky loser, defeating John Millman in straight sets. A few weeks later, he defeated Pablo Carreno Busta, David Goffin and Novak Djokovic en route to the French Open semifinals.
BMW Open by FWU, Munich, 29 April-5 May
Defending champion: Alexander Zverev
Category: 250
Prize money: €586,140
Who is playing: Alexander Zverev, Marco Cecchinato, Kyle Edmund, Diego Schwartzman, Roberto Bautista Agut
The International Tennis Championships of Bavaria was first held in 1900 (on grass), but the BMW Open by FWU was first staged at Munich’s Iphitos Tennis Club in 1974.
Alexander Zverev will try to win for a record third time in a row. Last year he defeated fellow countryman and 3-time champion Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 6-3.
Millenium Estoril Open, 29 April-5 May
Defending champion: Joao Sousa
Category: 250
Prize money: €586,140
Who is playing: Kevin Anderson, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Fabio Fognini, Gaël Monfils, Alex De Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, Joao Sousa
The Estoril Open was created in 2015 to replace the historic Portugal Open, which was canceled due to lack of sponsorships. The Portugal Open was both an ATP and WTA event. The men’s tournament was created in 1990 and has been won by current or future number 1s Thomas Muster (1995 and 1996), Carlos Moya (2000), Juan Carlos Ferrero (2001), Novak Djokovic (2007), and Roger Federer (2008).
Richard Gasquet was the winner of the first edition of the Estoril Open in 2015. Joao Sousa became the first Portuguese to win the tournament last year. He saved two match points against Pedro Sousa in the first round and defeated Next Gen players Stefanos Tsitsipas and Frances Tiafoe to claim the title.
Read more:
– Estoril Open 2018: Joao Sousa triumphs
– Estoril Open 2017: Pablo Carreno Busta defeats Gilles Muller
Mutua Madrid Open, 5-12 May
Defending champion: Alexander Zverev
Category: 1000
Prize money: €7,279,270
Who is playing: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev
From 2002 to 2008, the Madrid Masters were played on indoor hard courts at the Madrid Arena a couple weeks before Paris Bercy Masters. In 2009 the tournament transitioned from hard court to outdoor clay and replaced the Hamburg Open as the second Masters of the European clay court swing. Since then, the event is held at the Caja Majica which will host the 2019 Davis Cup finals.
In 2012, owner Ion Tiriac decided to swith to blue clay to “improve the experience for television viewers.”
Top players complained about the clay’s slipperiness, Nadal and Djokovic said they would not return to Madrid if the clay remained blue, and the tournament returned to the traditional red clay for the 2013 edition. Despite being played on red clay again, the conditions of play are made more difficult than Rome or Monte Carlo by altitude: Madrid is 650 meters above sea level and balls fly faster through thin air.
Last year, in the quarterfinals, Dominic Thiem ended Nadal’s 21-match and record 50-set winning streak on clay. Thiem had been the last man to take a set and win against Nadal on clay the previous year in Rome. The Austrian went on to reach the final, only to lose to Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
Read more:
– Do you really know what clay is made of?
Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, 12-19 May
Defending champion: Rafael Nadal
Category: 1000
Prize money: €5,791,280
Who is playing:
The Rome tournament, the last big tournament before Roland Garros has a long, rich and controversial history. From 1930 to 1934, the Italian International Championships were held in Milan at the Tennis Club, but dictator Mussolini wanted the event in his capital, Rome, so the tournament moved to the Foro Italico (then called Foro Mussolini) in 1935. The Foro Italico was built form 1928 to 1935 as part of Mussolini’s plan to revive the glory of ancient Rome. He wanted “to create a forum that would surpass those of Caesar and Augustus”. The Foro Italico also contains the 82,000-seat Stadio Olimpico, home of Roma and Lazio football teams. Serie A itself was founded by the Duce, the first leader to use sport as a propaganda tool, even before Hitler.
The Stadium is still haunted by marble incarnations of the fascists human ideal: you can walk across mosaics that spell out “Duce”, a marble obelisk with the words “Mussolini Dux” still stands today, and 4-meter nude statues of sportsmen, from boxers to tennis players surround both the Stadio dei Marni (Foro’s track), the Nicola Pietrangeli court. Weird isn’t it?
The tournament was also filled with controversies in the 70’s, when Italian players (especially Adriano Panatta) received a little help from officials (read more below). But thankfully gone are those days, and a new King of Clay rules in Rome: Rafael Nadal, who recorded an eighth victory last year.
The final was interrupted by rain with Nadal a break down in the third set. But he rallied back to defeat Zverev 6-1 1-6 6-3 and claim his second Masters 1000 of the season. Beaten by Nadal in the semifinals, defending champion Novak Djokovic fell outside the Top 20 for the first time since October 2006.
Read more:
– A little help for Adriano Panatta
– Italian Open 1978: silenzio cretini!
– Adriano Panatta, the Michelangelo of tennis
Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open, 19-25 May
Defending champion: Marton Fucsovics
Category: 250
Prize money: €586,140
Who is playing: Daniil Medvedev, Fabio Fognini, Benoît Paire, Jaume Munar
The Geneva Open is staged at the Tennis Club de Genève, the oldest and largest club in Switzerland, founded in 1896.
The tournament, held annually from 1980 to 1991, crowned 3 world number 1s: Bjorn Borg (1981), Mats Wilander (1982 and 1983), and Thomas Muster (1991), as well as 2 Swiss players, Claudio Mezzadri in 1987 and Marc Rosset in 1989. In 2015, after a 24-year hiatus, Thomaz Bellucci captured the title, followed by home crowd favorite Stan Wawrinka in 2016 and 2017.
In 2018, 38 years after the success of Balazs Taroczy during the first edition of tournament, a Hungarian player has once again lift the trophy. Marton Fucsovics, winner of Wawrinka in the semifinals, claimed his first ATP title with a 6-2 6-2 win over Peter Gojowczyk. The German beat Karlovic, Ferrer, Fognini and Seppi en route to his second final of the year (loss to Tiafoe in Delray Beach).
Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon, 19-25 May
Defending champion: Dominic Thiem
Category: 250
Prize money: €586,140
Who is playing: John Isner, Roberto Bautista Agut, Tomas Berdych
From 1987 to 2009 Lyon held an indoor hard court tournament, traditionally played a few weeks before Paris Bercy. Yannick Noah won the inaugural edition, beating Joakim Nyström in the final. Other past champions include John McEnroe, Pete Sampras (3 times), Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Andy Roddick. The event moved to Montpellier in 2010 and is now known as the Open Sud de France.
In 2017, the Open de Lyon returned to the ATP Tour calendar as a clay-court tournament, replacing the Open de Nice. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga captured the title, his 15th career title, his first ever on clay. Dominic Thiem was crowned last year after a hard fought 3-set victory over Gilles Simon in the final. Two weeks later he went on to reach his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal).
Roland Garros, Paris, 26 May-9 June
Defending champion: Rafael Nadal
Category: Grand Slam
Prize money: €
Who is playing: everybody!
Stay tuned for more Roland Garros coverage, and in the mean time, check out our Roland Garros FAQs and our tips for your day at Roland Garros.
Loading ...Pic taken by Tennis Buzz at the Babolat event at Roland Garros last year.
If you’re interested in history of tennis, I recommend you the read of two books:
– Love game: a history of tennis, from victorian pastime to global phenomenon by Elizabeth Wilson
– The golden days of tennis on the French riviera 1874-1939 by Alan Little
An historic victory for Joao Sousa who became the first Portuguese player to win an ATP tournament on home soil. He dispatched Frances Tiafoe 6-4 6-4 to claim his third career title, his first on clay.
“It’s just amazing. It’s a dream come true. It is very special for a Portuguese player to win here on home soil. I know how hard the organisation worked to make this tournament one of the best in the world and it’s just amazing. The crowd was unbelievable.”
Local hero Sousa was made to work all week as he had to save 2 match points against Pedro Sousa in the second round and survived 3-set marathons against third seed Kyle Edmund in the quarterfinals and recent Barcelona finalist Stefano Tsitsipas in the semis.
It was also a good week for Tiafoe, who reached his second final this year after a straight sets victory over defending champion Pablo Carreno Busta in the semifinals.
“I didn’t feel great today. I just got outplayed. I left a lot of balls short and didn’t play near as well as I was playing this week. He took advantage and was able to play how he wanted to. It was tough. I couldn’t get anything going.”
Joao Sousa and Frances Tiafoe booked their spot in the final after upsetting recent Barcelona finalist Stefano Tsitsipas and defending champion Pablo Carreno Busta.
Sousa defeats Tsitsipas 6-4 1-6 7-6
A rollercoaster of a match for Joao Sousa, who is now one win from becoming the first Portuguese player to win the tournament. A break of serve was enough to capture the first set, but the young Greek rallied back to level the match at one set all. The world number 68 who had never won a match in his 3 previous visits here prevailed in the tie-break 7-4.
Tiafoe defeats Carreno Busta 6-2 6-3
Tiafoe had to save 3 match points in the first round against Tennys Sandgren but since then he turned things around, and defeated Gilles Muller, Simone Bolelli in straight sets. He broke in the opening game of in his semifinal against the defending champion and never looked back, and secured his place in the final.
Tiafoe had some good results so far this year, with his maiden title in Delrey Beach and semifinals in Miami and Barcelona.
Photo credit: MNJ, all rights reserved to MNJ.
