Nadal is the greatest clay court player that has ever graced a tennis court. There’s no disputing that. He has won the French Open a total of 14 times, along with countless other prestigious clay court tournaments. 

As he nears his 40^th birthday I is time to begin the discussion of who his heir will be. It is unlikely that we’ll see someone as dominant as Nadal in the next 20 years. However, there must be someone out there that can begin dominating the clay courts like Nadal has done for the past 20 years. Let’s take a look at some of the candidates.

• Casper Ruud: Casper holds three clay court titles to his name and has already been a French Open finalist. Although he has not won a masters level clay court tournament, he has come close, reaching the semis at events such as Madrid, Monte Carlo and Rome.
• Carlos Alcaraz: at the tender age of 19, Carlos already holds five clay court tournaments, including a Masters 1000 win in Rome. He is sure to make some noise at Roland Garros this year. 
• Stefanos Tsitsipas: Stefanos holds four clay court titles to his name, including two Monte Carlo Masters 1000 titles. He’s also a French Open finalist. He saves his best for the clay, and is a true contender at the French Open. 
• Jannik Sinner: although more of a hard-court player, Sinner is pretty special on the clay. His only title on clay came at the 2022 Croatia Open where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final. This year he’s already made the semis of Monte Carlo. I suspect he’ll continue posting good results on the clay. 
• Holger Rune: Holger, like Alcaraz, is only 19 years old, and already holds a clay title to go along with a final’s appearance at Monte Carlo. He is athletic, speedy, and aggressive – all attributes needed to be competitive in the red clay courts of Europe. 

Lastly, let’s not forget Djokovic, who even though is a veteran to the game, still has plenty left in the tank. He may very well collect a few French Open’s in the few years depending on when Nadal retires.