Kings of clay

Rafael Nadal is without doubt the greatest clay-court player of all time after winning an unprecedented nine French Open singles titles.

The Spaniard is three clear of Bjorn Borg and returns to Roland Garros for the 2015 tournament with a career win-loss record on clay of 335-29. That compares to Borg's 245-39.

While we can drool over Nadal's ability on the red stuff, now also seems a good time to look back at some of those who have ruled the red dirt in days gone by.

Bjorn Borg

Wth six French Open titles, only Borg can compare to Nadal. To win six of the eight tournaments staged between 1974 and 1981 was phenomenal, although his ability to back it up at Wimbledon so often a few weeks later is arguably an even greater achievement. The 'Iceman' earned his nickname with his total focus on the courts of Roland Garros - he was prepared to trade all day from the back of the court if he had to. In Britain, Borg is best remembered for lifting that coveted gold cup so regularly at SW19 in July. That makes him one of that event's greats, but he won more titles here. 

Mats Wilander

The stat reeled out most often about Wilander is that he won three of the four Grand Slams on offer in 1988, only missing out at Wimbledon. But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the Swede's career was his win in Paris back in 1982. He arrived unseeded, but as the reigning junior champion some knew of his potential. What people didn't expect was him to become the youngest-ever Grand Slam winner (a record broken three years later at Wimbledon by Boris Becker) with Ivan Lendl and Guillermo Vilas among his victims. Despite the final against Vilas featuring just four sets, with one of those being won 6-0, it had been the longest in the tournament's history, at four hours and 42 minutes, until Fabrice Santoro beat Arnaud Clement in a fourth-round match in 2004 which lasted six hours and 33 minutes. Wilander also won in the French in 1985.

Ivan Lendl

Andy Murray's former coach was never the most popular of players, but there is surely no doubting his clay-court pedigree. He dominated the French Open in the mid-80s, winning three titles in four years from 1984 to 1987. He may well have won more but famously opted to skip the event in 1990 to prepare for Wimbledon - the one Grand Slam that would elude him. His robotic nature mirrored Borg's professionalism but it was also an aspect which failed to endear him to the fans. Another was his constant tapping of his shoes. It was to clear the clay from his soles but he regularly carried on the routine on Wimbledon's grass too. Plenty of his critics were happy to see him beaten in Paris by a teenage Michael Chang in 1989, the American cracking Lendl's renowned focus with his famous underarm serve before going on to become the youngest-ever Grand Slam winner at the age of 17 years and three months.

Sergi Bruguera

Some will argue his position among Spain's great dirtballers; others will claim he simply took advantage of a slip in standards. Jim Courier's best days were numbered, Pete Sampras was stifled by the clay, while Andre Agassi had yet to put his wild days behind him. But it's hard to argue with back-to-back French Open wins in 1993 and 1994, while Bruguera also made the final in 1997 after returning to the tour following a serious ankle injury. Hardly a spectacular player, what he did know was how to win on clay. Thi