French Open 2025: Draper, Fearnley and Norrie pass – But how does British men improve on clay?
Britain’s No. 1 Draper reached the Madrid Open final last month and climbed to fifth in the world.
Fearnley, also 23, continues to make encouraging progress throughout his first season as a profession, while Norrie, 29, rediscovers her form after several years of testing.
This progress did not happen overnight.
Former No. 1 in the UK, Annabel Croft traveled to the United States to train clay during her career.
“That’s really an exotic surface. Just like other players from Americans, learn how to play on the grass. It’s like a different sport,” she said on the BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
“When you suddenly go to the clay court, the ball comes back and you learn how to build the key points.
“The whole mindset becomes completely different.”
Last year’s first round elimination of British singles players prompted another inquiry about Britain’s lack of success in clay.
Historically, British players have not had as much contact with clay courts as competitors in other European and South American countries.
In 2024, there are about 1,300 clay fields in the UK – about 5% of the total 23,000 courts. By comparison, about 60% of Spain’s courts (one of the major countries on the surface) are clay.
However, more facilities are now being built to help the most talented young people gain experience in clay.
