Rafael Nadal might have been one of the most popular tennis stars of all time,
Nadal often complained about the 25-second rule and he would often become frustrated with umpires after receiving a time violation.
The King of Clay also lobbied for the ATP Finals to be played on other surfaces, and he didn’t stop there in 2013.
The Spaniard made a bold claim about what should happen on the ATP Tour which he believed would benefit younger players.
Rafael Nadal wanted less hard-court tournaments on the ATP Tour
At the 2013 Shanghai Masters, Nadal once again called for less hard-court tournaments on the ATP Tour.
Nadal believed that they were far worse on the body than playing on grass or clay court, which makes the number of hard-courts an even stranger decision.
The Spaniard argued: “I am really out of politics, and I don’t want to be involved in politics of the tennis anymore.
If you were in charge of tennis, what is the first rule you would change?
“I know even if you have strong ideas and even if you believe the changes are possible, I know there is always a wall there that is impossible to go over.
“I say because it’s something that I think is going to be fair for the next generations if they are able to play (on) an easier surface for the body, to try to have a longer career, to try to be more healthy when they finish (their) careers. Something that probably I will not (be lucky enough to have).”
Even to this day, the clay court season runs for just a couple of months, while the grass court leg of the tour is even shorter.
How much of the ATP Tour is played on hard-court?
Nadal is not wrong with his opinion that the ATP Tour is dominated by hard-court tournaments, with a whopping 58% of the current tour being played on the surface.
That includes two of the four Grand Slams, with Wimbledon played on grass and Roland Garros played on clay.
What is your bold prediction for the 2026 tennis season?
The tennis season starts on hard-court for three months, before switching to clay, and then grass, until August.
Play reverts back to hard-court for the American swing, which includes the Masters tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati.
The rest of the schedule is then played on hard court, with the Asian swing and the indoor European circuit.
