Sam Querrey was 17 when he first set foot on purple dust.
He had by no means even practiced on monitor and was at the moment competing within the 2005 French Open junior event. He did not know what to anticipate, however he knew he needed to determine it out rapidly on the world’s most well-known clay court docket.
Chris Eubanks was even older. He was 22 years previous when he first performed in a match on purple clay. He stunned himself by making the qualifying draw at Roland Garros in 2018, however did not have a lot time to arrange.
“I knew it was going to be a troublesome query, however that is what I’ll say,” Eubanks informed ESPN earlier this month. “However I used to be excited and knew I used to be an honest sufficient participant that I believed I would have the ability to deal with some discomfort and will work out the strikes. I keep in mind considering, ‘If it is heat and the ball is flying, I most likely have an opportunity.’ Nevertheless it was a cool morning in Paris, so I used to be in a position to get out and in of the court docket in simply over an hour. ”
Whereas many younger gamers in Europe develop up enjoying on purple clay, American gamers typically get their first style of the floor a lot later than many different gamers, one thing that has historically been an unfamiliar sight in america. Regardless of the delay, some U.S. girls’s gamers carried out nicely within the clay court docket portion of the season. Serena Williams is a three-time Roland Garros champion, Coco Gauff is the reigning champion, and Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin have each reached the ultimate lately. Nevertheless it was primarily a battle for males. No American participant has reached the semifinals of a serious since Andre Agassi received the French Open in 1999.
However American males have made strides lately, thanks partially to a renewed deal with surfaces by america Tennis Affiliation (USTA) and particular person gamers. Francis Tiafoe and Tommy Paul each reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 French Open. Lerner Tien, 20, received his first ATP title on monitor in Geneva on Saturday, changing into the youngest American athlete to win a tour-level trophy on clay since 1989. And Ben Shelton received the 500-level title in Munich in April, the largest clay-court title for an American man since 2002.
A complete of 18 American males superior to the primary occasion in Paris, essentially the most since 1995.
“(Shelton’s win) was a really optimistic indicator that we’re transferring in the fitting route,” mentioned Kent Kinnear, USTA’s director of males’s tennis. “I believe now we have some gamers who’re superb on clay, and we wish to proceed to win extra titles like that, ideally the French Open title. After all, it is extremely robust and extremely aggressive, however I really feel like we’re persevering with to enhance.”
The composition of Roland Garros’ purple soil is a precise science, made up of exact measurements of purple brick mud, crushed white limestone, volcanic residue and crushed gravel, with a layer of stone on the backside for drainage. Requires intensive upkeep procedures together with heaps and so much Drink water and take note of adjustments within the climate.
And whereas it is tough to create and hold intact, enjoying it requires one other stage of technical skill.
Crimson clay is the slowest of the street surfaces. When the ball makes contact with the bottom, it bounces larger and loses velocity. As gamers have extra time to arrange their pictures, a extra tactical sport model is required and is usually characterised by lengthy rallies. And naturally, there’s motion. Crimson clay permits gamers to glide throughout the court docket, as gamers corresponding to Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz have lately confirmed. It is a method that excites the gang, but it surely takes follow, familiarity, and a wholesome dose of confidence.
For gamers in areas the place purple soils are prevalent, corresponding to many elements of Europe and South America, the refined variations within the floor are nearly pure.
“I believe it simply offers them an inherent benefit,” Querrey, a former world No. 11 turned analyst and podcaster, informed ESPN. “They have been enjoying this track eternally, and generally there’s only a grittiness to it, or behind their thoughts they develop some extent in a approach that Individuals cannot.”
As counterintuitive as it might sound, Gauff could also be a main instance of what Querrey is speaking about. Regardless of rising up in Florida, Gauff started coaching on the Mouratoglou Academy in France on the age of 10, spending a lot of her time on purple clay. It rapidly grew to become certainly one of her greatest surfaces and nonetheless is. She received her first Junior Grand Slam title at Roland Garros on the age of 14 and has since received main singles and doubles titles.
Many Individuals, particularly these within the Southeast, grew up enjoying with the inexperienced clay generally known as Har-Tru. Though it has some similarities to purple clay, inexperienced clay consists of crushed metabasalt stones and is coarser grained, leading to quicker play speeds and shorter slides.
“Inexperienced clay is often somewhat extra slippery than purple clay, and also you slide on it in another way,” mentioned Eubanks, a former Prime 30 participant and present analyst. “Sliding on purple clay simply offers you extra stability, and it means you may put extra effort into your legs if you decelerate. Sliding is simply stopping and slowing down. On inexperienced clay, it is slippery, so it is somewhat bit simpler. So Individuals get on purple clay and check out a traditional slide, and so they’re like, ‘I am not going anyplace,’ or ‘I’ve to essentially push.’ There’s an actual studying curve.”
Though very completely different from purple clay, inexperienced clay may be thought of roughly in between exhausting court docket and European clay. Held in particular person on the finish of the spring exhausting court docket season and forward of the European clay season, the ATP U.S. Males’s Clay Courtroom Championship and the WTA Charleston Open will each be held on the Har Tur floor, doubtlessly a helpful transition for a lot of Individuals. There are a variety of American gamers within the draw, and each tournaments often function American champions.
Nevertheless it was a special story for European clay court docket gamers. Agassi was the final to win a Masters 1000 title on water on the 2002 Italian Open, and earlier than Shelton’s victory in April, Todd Martin was the final American to win a 500 title on water — courting again to 1998.
The USTA knew one thing wanted to alter.
Kinnear mentioned the group first determined to work on inexperienced clay about 15 years in the past. Initially, they organized a circuit of tournaments on the bottom close to Boca Raton (their house base on the time) for gamers to realize extra expertise. After that, gamers will practice on campus each time doable.
“Until there is a exhausting court docket event developing, we’ll attempt to follow and practice on clay courts,” Kinnear mentioned. “It is good for you (as a result of it is a delicate floor) and it is good for constructing factors. And that is clearly the place we have been somewhat bit behind in comparison with the remainder of the world, particularly Europe and South America.”
However that wasn’t sufficient. Inexperienced clay helped in most of the methods Kinnear talked about, but it surely didn’t shut the hole to the gamers who performed often on purple clay. As a part of establishing and opening a brand new nationwide campus in Orlando in 2017, the group added six purple clay courts.
Importing 450 tons of purple clay from Italy, the identical as that used on the Italian Open, the USTA set to work recreating the court docket as intently as doable. Event groundskeepers got here to show the Orlando crew one of the best ways to keep up the bottom. Kinnear known as this intense groundskeeping “an artwork kind.” It was a big and costly enterprise.
Almost a decade later, this court docket remains to be probably the most widespread courts on the property and is used year-round. It additionally permits gamers who practice on the nationwide campus to play often on the bottom from a younger age. The outcomes have been fast for the youthful technology, with Individuals profitable the final two Junior Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup tournaments.
“For me, this reveals that our gamers and our girls’s gamers can play towards the remainder of the world on purple soil,” Kinnear mentioned. “We’re studying how one can play this sport. We’re versatile sufficient to compete on the highest stage on this sport.”
Eubanks, who started coaching at Nationwide Campus across the identical time as his French Open debut, known as the court docket a game-changer for these across the facility.
“It is enormous,” Eubanks mentioned. “It offers you an affinity for what an unpredictable floor is. You’ll be able to develop actions, follow pictures and see which pictures work. It offers you extra time to follow and get used to it, moderately than simply ready till you get to Europe and saying, ‘Okay, let’s determine this out.’
Though they continue to be prohibitively costly, a number of amenities across the nation are additionally constructing their very own purple clay courts, together with the Junior Tennis Champions Heart in School Park, Maryland, and the Farm & Forge Membership in Nashville. Hayley Batiste, who skilled at JTCC, made waves after defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on the Madrid Open and calling purple clay her “favourite floor” on the podcast “Love All with Kim Clijsters.”
“I hadn’t heard many Individuals say that earlier than,” Kinnear, stunned to listen to of Baptiste’s revelation, mentioned with amusing.
To date this season, the USTA has been ready so as to add two junior ITF tournaments on purple clay to the spring schedule, which the group calls “intentional.”
“Crimson soil grew to become a high precedence for us,” Kinnear mentioned. “Historically, we’re a giant serve, forehand nation, and (the purple soil) slows down the ball sufficient that we have to develop all the opposite components: motion, physicality from the corners, groundstroke weight, groundstroke consistency. “Be extra selective about if you go to the web, as a result of should you go into the fallacious ball, you are extra in danger.” All of those expertise will likely be helpful on all courts.” In our opinion, it is a massive plus for his growth total. ”
On Sunday, after profitable the largest match of his profession towards seventh-seeded fellow American Taylor Fritz in his first fundamental draw look at Roland Garros, 21-year-old Nishesh Vasavareddy was requested by a reporter if he had any expertise on purple clay. He answered resolutely.
“Within the junior division, the USTA is doing a extremely good job proper now when it comes to making us do a whole lot of coaching,” Vasavareddy mentioned. “So I did fairly a bit in junior.”
After profitable the trophy with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Flavio Cobolli within the closing in Munich, Shelton was keenly conscious of the historical past he had made. The 23-year-old, who was born the identical yr as Agassi’s Italian Open victory, knew this second was greater than himself.
“That is enormous. I’ve massive ambitions on clay. I wish to proceed to enhance on this floor yearly,” Shelton mentioned. “It has grow to be certainly one of my favourite surfaces…
“We had two quarterfinalists at Roland Garros final yr. Success on clay is coming again and I sit up for being part of this growth of U.S. males’s tennis on clay. On the ladies’s aspect, we received final yr’s French Open and are nonetheless in lockdown. As for the boys, we nonetheless have work to do, however we’re on course. This is only one step in an extended swing and we’ll see what occurs.”
Shelton hasn’t had the identical success since then. He misplaced within the opening spherical of each Madrid and Rome, however nonetheless entered Roland Garros because the fifth seed and the highest-ranked American. Though he defeated Daniel Merida within the opening spherical, he’s within the unenviable place of being positioned within the quarters of No. 1 ranked Jannik Sinner in a draw.
Till final week, no different American males had achieved something particular in Europe. However then Tien received his first profession ATP title on terrestrial TV with a dominant efficiency over former French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas and 2025 quarter-finalist Alexander Bublik in Geneva, whereas Paul, winless in Madrid and Rome, reached the ultimate in Hamburg. Each Tien and Paul made it to the second spherical with relative ease this week.
Tiafoe, at the moment ranked twenty second within the rankings, was the one participant to achieve the spherical of 32 in his first European event, defeating compatriot Eliot Spitzilli in 4 units within the opening match in Paris. No. 9 Fritz missed many of the season on clay with a knee damage, however made his return in Geneva. The rust was evident within the defeat towards Basava Reddy.
And the majors can convey out the very best in gamers, and as Kinnear identified, Shelton’s latest breakthrough needs to be motivation for the remainder of the American groups within the lottery.
“(Shelton’s) win helps enhance everybody’s confidence,” Kinnear mentioned. “There is a actually robust dynamic between the generations of gamers which are rising up collectively. They’re all making an attempt to climb collectively and when certainly one of them has that form of (unprecedented) success, it loses somewhat little bit of the mystique and you are feeling like you are able to do it too.”
After all, no American has received a serious title on any floor since 2003. For the previous 27 years, purple clay circumstances haven’t been the one factor standing between American athletes and the Roland Garros title.
“I believe the largest issues have been Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz,” Querrey mentioned. “For me, it looks like these three gamers specifically have proven such an edge. For a similar motive, you too can ask the Germans, the British and the Australians about their struggles within the event.”
However with 14-time clay champion Nadal retiring, Djokovic saying he was “half a step” behind him within the season’s solely clay lead-in match in Rome, and two-time defending champion Alcaraz out of the event with a wrist damage, will this be the yr the American breaks his Grand Slam drought and wins a trophy in Paris?
Question would not assume so.
“If a tie opens up, I can safely say that both Shelton or Paul may make it to the semifinals, however I do not assume anybody apart from Alcaraz and Sinner can win a serious event. So long as both of them are in a tie, I am by no means going to take them on.”
