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By Chris Oddo | Wednesday, May 20, 2015

 
Andy Murray, Roland Garros

By going undefeated on the surface in 2015, Andy Murray has emerged as a threat to contend for a maiden Roland Garros title.

Photo Source: Corleve

Roland Garros will seed according to ranking when the draw comes out this Friday from Paris. Since rankings take into account the last 52 weeks of tennis on all surfaces, we thought it only proper to give you our Top 15 clay-courters, based on both history and results in 2015.

Federer: Nadal Still Favorite Heading into Roland Garros

1. Novak Djokovic: Djokovic has supplanted Nadal in the rankings for the time being. He’s done it by being perfect this season on clay, capturing titles in Monte-Carlo and Rome.

2. Rafael Nadal: Everybody says the king is dead, but the king is 26-5 in the last 52 weeks on his beloved red clay. All that despite coming back from a six-month hiatus at the end of last season. The question: Does the fact that Nadal will head to Roland Garros without a clay-court title under his belt for the first time simply mean that it is taking Nadal longer to find his indomitable form, or is he never going to be what he once was?

3. David Ferrer: Many place Murray as the No. 2 favorite at Roland Garros thanks to his undefeated run on clay, but we like former French Open finalist David Ferrer, who is currently one win from his 300th career triumph on clay.

4. Andy Murray: Surprise, surprise, Murray is in the Roland Garros conversation. We give Murray the ever so slight edge over Kei Nishikori based on the pair’s last meeting in Madrid, and the fact that Murray has two French Open semis on his resume.


5. Kei Nishikori: Nishikori’s body of work over the last two years has been quite stellar. His ability to defeat David Ferrer on the surface speaks volumes about his ability to be lethal on the surface.

6. Roger Federer: A few years ago, Federer was the second-best clay-court player among actives, and perhaps one of the best all-time. But now that he’s 33, the physical nature of the clay game makes it harder for Federer. But don’t rule him out at Roland Garros.

7. Stan Wawrinka: In full flight, Stan Wawrinka can be an absolute nightmare on clay (see his butchering of Nadal in Rome's quarterfinals last week). He just needs to be consistent and aggressive.

8. Fabio Fognini: When the Italian is dialed in his game on clay is beautiful to watch. Subtle nuances, dashes of power and a beautifully shaped ball.


9. Gael Monfils: Monfils would rank above Fognini if it wasn’t for his darn knee, which could slow him down at Roland Garros. He had to pull out of Rome because of it. But circle back to Monte-Carlo, where Monfils took out Roger Federer and reached the semis for reason to fear LaMonf on clay and in front of his loyal fans.

10. Pablo Cuevas: Ripening with each successive professional season ,the boss from Uruguay has three titles and 24 wins on clay in the last 52 weeks.

11. Tommy Robredo: If he’s healthy, the five-time Roland Garros will be a tough out in Paris. He always is.

12. Nicolas Almagro: Three quarterfinals at the French Open for Nicolas Almagro have all ended in straight-sets defeats to Rafael Nadal. But that doesn’t mean that the Spaniard isn’t a premier dirtballer.

13. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez: Like Cuevas, the 31-year-old appears to be getting better with age.

14. Richard Gasquet: Getting healthier by the day, France’s former prodigy hits the type of heavy topspin that gives opponents nightmares on clay. He won the Estoril title a few weeks ago.

15. Nick Kyrgios: He’s got no history to prove it, but something tells us that the Rising Aussie—if healthy, which is an issue right now—has the potential to get deep at Roland Garros.

 

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