Clay Court Statistics Overview
Syd Ball has found clay courts difficult, recording 13–34 across 47 matches (27.7%). The numbers point to a surface that has not consistently suited the game — a key area of opportunity on the calendar.
At Grand Slam level (Roland Garros): Syd Ball is 2–3 (40.0%) across 5 Grand Slam matches — below .500, though the elite draw depth at the Slams makes that a notoriously difficult barrier to crack.
Best season: 1973 — 4–3 (57.1%) from 7 matches. The best single-season display to date — a useful reference point as the clay record continues to develop.
Syd Ball Clay Court Record by Year
| Year | W | L | Win% | Titles | Finals | SF | QF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | 1 | 4 | 20.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | 2 | 8 | 20.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | 5 | 8 | 38.5% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1973 | 4 | 3 | 57.1% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | 0 | 4 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Recent Clay Court Matches
| Date | Result | Opponent | Tournament | Round | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-02-23 | Loss | (229) Marty Davis | Mexico City | R32 | 3-6 6-3 6-2 |
| 1980-08-04 | Loss | (241) Juan Nunez | Indianapolis | R64 | 6-3 6-1 |
| 1980-07-28 | Loss | (115) David Carter | South Orange | R32 | 6-4 1-6 6-3 |
| 1980-07-21 | Loss | (7) Harold Solomon | Washington-2 | R64 | 6-4 6-2 |
| 1980-05-12 | Loss | (55) Jean-Francois Caujolle | Florence | R16 | 6-4 6-1 |
| 1980-05-12 | Win | (479) Fabrizio Fanucci | Florence | R32 | 6-4 6-3 |
| 1979-04-16 | Loss | (50) Paolo Bertolucci | Houston WCT | R32 | 7-6 6-1 |
| 1978-10-23 | Loss | (474) Jun Kamiwazumi | Tokyo-1 | R32 | 6-3 6-3 |
| 1976-09-01 | Loss | (13) Stan Smith | US Open | R128 | 6-3 6-4 |
| 1976-08-23 | Loss | (77) Julian Ganzabal | South Orange | R32 | 3-6 6-4 6-1 |
Syd Ball
Matches — Clay