Nicolas Almagro- Getty Images

A New Star is Born

June 9, 2008

As the clay court season comes to an end and the grass courts loom, some players on the ATP Tour will be sad to see it go. One such man is Spaniard Nicolas Almagro who, like so many of his countrymen, dominates every spring when the Tour shifts to the red surface.

The 22-year-old from Murcia had already won a pair of titles on the surface this season when he arrived in Paris for the French Open. In February he defeated fellow Spaniard Carlos Moya to capture the Brasil Open in Costa Do Sauipe and then followed up that performance with another championship at the Abierto Mexcicano Telcel in Acapulco, Mexico, winning the title with a stunning upset over then world No. 8 David Nalbandian of Argentina.

Playing with confidence and flair at Roland Garros, Almagro recorded a major upset of No. 10 seed Andy Murray (Great Britain) in the third round and then took out crowd favourite Jeremy Chardy (France) in the fourth to reach his first ever Grand Slam quarter-final. His appearance in the round of eight helped him jump seven spots in the South African Airways ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 13.

It’s no surprise that Almagro experienced his greatest Grand Slam success to date at the French Open, where the tournament is played on his favourite surface. His career has followed a similar pattern: decent results at most events but highlighted by big wins on clay. In addition to the two titles he won this season, Almagro also captured back-to-back trophies on clay at the Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana in Spain in 2006 and 2007 and was a finalist at the same event earlier this season. He also reached the quarter-finals in Barcelona and at the Masters Series event in Rome.

If last year was considered his breakout season—he won a career-high 31 matches and finished inside the Top 30 for the first time—then his play this season proves he will be a star for many years to come. He currently holds an impressive 31-10 match record, equaling the number of contests he won last year, and there are still more than five months of the season left to play, guaranteeing he will smash his previous career high.

Almagro is the second youngest Spanish player in the world rankings, behind only Rafael Nadal, and has proved this season that he is one of the clay greats. While his resume is not nearly as impressive as Nadal’s—the four-time French Open champion and without a doubt best player on clay—Almagro has to be considered one of the best players from his country. Despite his age, Almagro out-ranks many of his compatriots as he sits behind only Nadal and world No. 5 David Ferrer on the list of players from Spain. He is also in the running for a spot on the Spanish Davis Cup team that will take on the United States in the semifinals. He may be more inexperienced than some of his possible teammates, but in his first appearance at the tournament he posted a perfect 2-0 record and could bring some youthful exuberance to the squad.

Now firmly cemented inside the Top 20, Almagro still has several years of playing time ahead of him, ensuring he’ll be a dominant force for many years to come.