Rafael Nadal is nervous as he defends his Monte-Carlo Title – Tennis Special
King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, has admitted that he is nervous, as he starts the defence of his title at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in Monaco from Wednesday.
Nadal will face the toughest challenger this year, as world number one, Novak Djokovic, has also entered the event. Djokovic, who stretched Nadal to three sets in the 2009 final, did not play here last year but defeated the Spaniard
in the title matches at the Mutua Madrid Open and Internazionali BNL d’Italia, denting a severe blow to latter’s confidence.
Moreover, Andy Murray, who is at fourth position in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, is also in prime form this season. The Brit has also improved the level of his game on clay courts, as he also took Nadal to the deciding
set during their semi-final encounter last year.
The world number two is also worried about the condition of his knee, hoping that it does not break down during the long battles on the red clay.
The combination of injury and inform rivals can give a harsh time to the King of Clay and his unbelievable record at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters is in danger.
The Spaniard has captured a record seven straight titles at this event. Appearing in this tournament for the ninth time, he has won 39 of the total matches he has played here. Nadal faced his only loss when he participated here
for the first time, getting beaten by Guillermo Coria in the round of 16. Last year, he grabbed the crown by beating David Ferrer in straight sets 6-2, 7-5 in the final.
However, Nadal shared that such an impressive record at this event also gives him added pressure. He said, "I'm always nervous coming into Monte Carlo. It's always exciting to start the clay season. But I'm always nervous before
every event, even if I've had good success in the past. I want to do well and win it another time. But I've had less time than usual to practice.”
Nadal faced the same problem at the Sony Ericsson Open two weeks back that stopped him from defending his title at the Wimbledon Championships in 2009.
The Spaniard had to withdraw from his semi-final clash with world number four, Andy Murray of Great Britain, in Miami. As he was recovering from the injury, the 10-time Grand Slam champion could not practice properly for this event.
He said, "I need time and hours on court, playing matches and practicing. I had to stop after Miami and have only had four days of training after 15 days off.”
Nadal hoped that he would be ready for Wednesday. The Spaniard will play former world number 13, Jarkko Nieminen of Finland, in the second round. Nadal is seeded second at this event and received a bye in the opening round. On
the other hand, Nieminen defeated Czech, Radek Stepanek, in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(3) in the previous match.
He added, "Now it's time to see how good it is. I need to be able to play at top level, run without thinking about the knee.”
Nadal added that he has put all the effort and hope that he will be able to practice without any trouble, adding that it would be the most important thing for him.
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