After his last tournament title in Monaco, Rafael Nadal will play three tournaments before he steps foot on the red clay at Rolando Garros next month for the French Open. Although he was happy with his 6-4, 7-5 defeat of David Ferrer on Sunday, Nadal said he felt “rusty” on his favorite surface at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Rafael Nadal Seeks A Confidence Boost Before French Open
“I need to use the confidence from the first week to keep improving. I have to be more aggressive, to serve better and to finish off points more emphatically and with more authority.”
Since it’s clay season, the 24-year-old should get plenty of time on the surface. He’ll need to be sharp to defend his 2010 French Open title in Roland Garros against world No. 3 Roger Federer, Andy Murray or Novak Djokovic. Djokovic, the world No. 2, has made the French semifinal twice, and he is coming off a recent 26 match win streak (one that was broken by Nadal). Although Murray is the World No. 4, he has never gone further then the semifinals at Roland Garros.
As for Nadal, he’s played 17 matches in the last four weeks, and there are no signs of him taking a break before the French Open. The World No. 1 will compete in the Barcelona Open, Mutua Madrid Open and then the Rome Masters before he gets to the French Open, which starts on May 17 at Roland Garros.
“Every year I did a fantastic clay court season. I have to try to do it another time. With these four or five tournaments, if I am playing very well, I’m going to have the biggest chances to have enough points to try to be in the top position at the end of the year ranking ... I’m not invincible on clay. I have lost before and unfortunately I have plenty more games I will lose in the future. It has gone well for me in recent years but no one is perfect.”
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