PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 05: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a forehand against Casper Ruud of Norway during the Men's Singles Final match on Day 15 of The 2022 French Open at Roland Garros on June 05, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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Roland Garros: Why is clay the most difficult surface to play on?

Clay is widely considered to be the most difficult surface to play tennis on. But what makes the iconic Roland Garros surface so challenging compared to grass and hard courts? And why is Rafael Nadal the King of Clay? CNN Sports' Matias Grez takes a look.

01:32 - Source: CNN
Tennis 6 videos
PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 05: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a forehand against Casper Ruud of Norway during the Men's Singles Final match on Day 15 of The 2022 French Open at Roland Garros on June 05, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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Roland Garros: Why is clay the most difficult surface to play on?
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A staff sweeps a clay court during the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on May 24, 2025. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)
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The iconic clay courts of the French Open are barely made of clay at all
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<p>One of the best tennis stories of 2025 saw teenager Jakub Menšík deny boyhood idol Novak Djokovic of his 100th career title, stunning the 24-time grand slam singles champion in the Miami Open final in March. The 19-year-old exhibited an impressively confident display of power and guile in what was by far the biggest moment of his young career. In claiming his first career ATP title, Menšík became the second-youngest winner of the Miami Open after Carlos Alcaraz in 2022. But incredibly, Menšík very nearly didn’t play at all in Miami. Ahead of his first-round match against Jack Draper, Menšík was suffering with knee pain and went to the tournament referee’s office with the intention of withdrawing from the Miami Open. Instead, Menšík received treatment from the physiotherapist and took some pain killers, relieving his knee pain enough to take the court. He's been looking back on his breakthrough and ahead to the French Open with Don Riddell. </p>
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RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - NOVEMBER 07: Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada hits pink signed tennis balls for breast cancer awareness into the crowd with Erin Routliffe of New Zealand i(out of pic) after their victory against Caroline Dolehide of the United States and Desirae Krawczyk of the United States in their round robin doubles match during Day 6 of the 2024 WTA Finals Riyadh as part of the Hologic WTA Tour at King Saud University Indoor Arena on November 07, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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<p>WTA players are celebrating a landmark day for their sport with the creation of a maternity fund. One of those players, the 2-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, joined World Sport's Amanda Davies to discuss how life changing the maternity fund will be.</p>
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