During the 2020s, certain names have come to the fore in spring: Swiatek, Alcaraz, Sinner, Gauff, Sabalenka, Djokovic. They’re the game’s top tier on all surfaces, and especially on clay.
For various reasons—injury, defeat, a week off—none of them were around this weekend for the 500 finals in Stuttgart, Barcelona, and Munich.
Instead, the winners were three players—Arthur Fils, Elena Rybakina, Ben Shelton—who are hoping to put themselves in the title conversation at the upcoming Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome—and, if all goes according to plan, Roland Garros after that.
Here’s a look, based on their final-round performances on Sunday, at what makes them clay contenders, and what might hold them back.
