World No. 7 Casper Ruud says he definitely sees the similarities in the way Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal play on clay.
Nadal, a record 13-time French Open champion, is the greatest clay courter in tennis history.
A few years ago, Thiem was considered as the biggest threat to Nadal on clay.
Thiem made back-to-back French Open finals in 2018 and 2019 but both times ended runner-up to Nadal.
“Dominic is more similar to Rafa. He plays with great intensity and heavy shots, with both the forehand and the backhand, but especially the forehand. [I think] he puts a little more spin [on the forehand],” Ruud told the ATP Tour website.
Ruud: Thiem’s backhand is his strong asset
“The backhand is also dangerous because he can do many things with it. He can slice it very well, he can play open stance with the one-handed backhand, which is not easy, and then he can also step in and rip it down the line very flat and aggressively. It’s tough to find spots where you can really rest if you have a tough rally because he has all the shots,” Ruud continued.
“His kick serve is very, very good, which helps a lot on clay. He opens the court very well to set up big forehands and big groundstrokes. He’s quick, he moves around well, he makes you play tough, physical rallies from the baseline. He’s obviously one of the tougher players to play on clay and he has proved it. He has played the final of the French Open two times and won big tournaments on the surface.”
Nadal leads the head-to-head against Thiem 9-6.
Four of six’s Thiem’s wins over Nadal came on clay.
Thiem has had some success against Nadal but the Spaniard won the most important meeting between the two – the two French Open finals.
Both Nadal and Thiem are skipping this week’s Monte Carlo Masters.