Clay season is here and most Rafans like me are hoping for a grand comeback by the man labeled the King of Clay at the Roland Garros. Rafa’s almost like the Undertaker in this aspect (excuse the comparison but hear me out), He might stay down and out for the whole season but when the French Open is around the corner you know something is about to happen just like Taker at Wrestlemania. Even though Rafa’s hot streak at Roland Garros has been broken not once but twice – he’s still always looked at as the favorite for the title and it’s the same case once again with his back to back titles at Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

But Rafa isn’t invincible anymore and here are ‘The Few Good Men’ who might just beat Rafa on his beloved surface.

1 – Novak Djokovic

 Even though Rafa leads 14-6 overall on clay, the Serbinator has won 3 out of their last 4 meetings on the red dirt. Probably the Kryptonite to Rafa’s Superman.  He has been in an amazing run of form and halted the Nadal juggernaut last year at the Roland Garros beating him convincingly 7-5 6-3 6-1 in the Quarterfinals. Djokovic is in what the Gym Junkies would call a Beast Mode right now and Nadal can surely match up to him on clay but Novak also has the capability to take out Rafa. This should probably be the match to look out for this season.

2- Stan Wawrinka

The defending champion at the Roland Garros – the Swiss star possesses one of the most lethal weapons – that one handed backhand – which made sure Novak didn’t complete his career grand slam. Stan, the Man, is smart. Against top-ranked players, he tends to go all out and when his game responds to that challenge he is almost an unstoppable force. So much so that even the current superhero of tennis Novak Djokovic could only watch in awe and disbelief last year in the finals. If he ups the ante against the Spaniard it might become a little tough for Rafa to come up with answers.

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3 – Fabio Fognini

The Italian shocked the world when he beat Rafa both in Rio and Barcelona in 2015. One of the most unpredictable players on court Fabio tends to bring his A game on clay. That’s the surface he grew up playing on and his game also compliments the surface – good speed and movement, smart use of drop shot and off forehand with good changes of pace. Also, there’s no love lost between these two (refer the altercation in 2015 Hamburg final) Sets up a mouthwatering clash if it happens.

I am going to drift a little because honestly these 3 men are my best bet to beat Rafa but Tennis is an unpredictable sport. A nobody can beat the number 1 player. The next two are more or less a category of players that can beat the Spaniard.

4. The Usual Suspects –

Let’s be brutally honest. Nadal still doesn’t look like the unbeatable matador that he was on clay a couple of years back. This is probably the time for Roger, Murray, Nishikori and the other top players to hit where it hurts. Roger still has that little mental as well as style of play hurdle against Rafa while Murray is a little too inconsistent and impatient and Kei is probably a bit inexperienced to do it but if on their day – one of these men decide to bring their A game and go for the kill who knows? They’ve done it before but the question is can they do it on a hot humid day on clay?

5 – Big Servers Early on

Rafa is one of those players whose performance peaks as the tournament goes on. He looks a very vulnerable man at the start of many tournaments including his favorite Roland Garros. Remember when Isner took him the distance in the first round in 2011? This is probably because Rafa relies a lot on his topspin and the ball hanging at an awkward height for his opponents which probably isn’t the case for a 6’10 Isner or a 6’11 Karlovic.

Secondly, Rafa likes to slug it out. Play longer rallies, wear his opponents down before hitting a killer shot but most big servers keep the rallies short with a huge serve and a big shot (in most cases a forehand) to follow it up. This takes away from Nadal the chance to work and eventually tire out his opponents.