How have British men improved on clay?

French Open 2025

Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros

For the first time in almost 60 years, three British men have reached the French Open singles third round.

Jack Draper beat home favourite Gael Monfils in a Thursday night thriller to join Jacob Fearnley and Cameron Norrie in the last 32.

Norrie had earlier overcome Argentine qualifier Federico Gomez, while Fearnley progressed when French opponent Ugo Humbert retired with injury.

And there is guaranteed to be at least one Briton in the fourth round for the first time in eight years, with Norrie and Fearnley meeting on Saturday night.

Success has been scarce for British men on the clay courts at Roland Garros since 1968 – former world number one Andy Murray aside.

British number one Draper has become a genuine force on clay, having reached the Madrid Open final last month and climbed to fifth in the world.

Fearnley, also 23, is continuing to make encouraging strides in his first full season as a professional, while 29-year-old Norrie has rediscovered his form after a testing few years.

Such progress has not happened overnight.

Former British number one Annabel Croft travelled to America to train on clay during her playing career.

“It was such an alien surface. It was like other players coming over from America and learning how to play on grass. It was like a different sport,” she said on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.

“When you’re suddenly going on to a clay court, the ball is coming back and you learned how to construct a point.

“The whole mentality becomes something completely different.”

Last year’s first-round wipeout of British singles players prompted another inquest into the lack of British success on clay.

Historically, British players have not had as much exposure to clay courts as many of their rivals, particularly those from other European and South American nations.

The LTA said in 2024 there were about 1,300 clay-courts in Great Britain – around 5% of the 23,000 total number of courts. In contrast, about 60% of courts in Spain – one of the leading nations on the surface – are clay.

The LTA has four clay courts – built to the same specification of the courts used at the Monte Carlo Masters – at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

The governing body is also continuing to “form new partnerships” with clay-court facilities in Barcelona and Girona so young players can attend camps and training sessions.

Norrie and Fearnley’s development took place overseas, with both players attending the Texas Christian University in America. It helped develop a steely mentality – something so crucial on clay courts.

“Norrie is very much somebody who Fearnley and the others at TCU looked up to,” said BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller.

“Norrie would come back to practice while he was an ATP Tour player after he won Indian Wells and had success in other big tournaments.

“Fearnley and the others got a chance to practice with him and Norrie was the man they were trying to emulate.

Before the season began, Draper and Fearnley were shown practising sliding in a video posted by the LTA.

Sliding is one of the key skills players must master to succeed on clay.

“When that video was taken, it was probably the first time I was doing it since maybe 2017,” Fearnley said.

“It’s still something I’m getting used to, and it is extremely important, feeling the movement.

“I would say that is probably the biggest difference on clay – the tennis stays pretty similar, but it’s more the movement that is different.”

By being able to slide in to a shot, players can return the ball from a defensive position, and adjust their position more quickly to play a more aggressive shot.

Clay is a much slower surface than grass, which leads to longer points, more rallies and more running.

A high level of fitness is non-negotiable – and has been one of the key reasons for Draper’s success on clay this year. Fearnley and Norrie are both renowned for their engines, too.

Players must also be comfortable hitting the ball in a different way.

When you think of 14-time champion Rafael Nadal holding court at the French Open, it is his lefty forehand that comes to mind.

The grip and follow-through with the racquet allowed him to hit with heavy top spin – a key component of his success.