FEDEX LOOKS TO CREATE RIPPLES

MONTE CARLO: Roger Federer returns to the Monte Carlo Masters starting on Sunday with a mission to try and topple king of clay Rafael Nadal as the Spaniard seeks an unprecedented ninth title in the principality.

Federer, his season taking flight and his ranking back to a morethan-respectable world number four, last competed at the optional Masters in 2011, when he was shuttled out in a quarter-final surprise by Austrian Jurgen Melzer.

The 32-year-old Swiss who lost three straight finals here to Nadal between 2006 and 2008, will hope for the kind of week which Novak Djokovic produced a year ago.

The Serb defeated Nadal for the title 12 months ago, meting out to the Spaniard only his second loss at the tournament since first playing it as a 16-year-old in 2003.

Federer made the decision to play after helping Switzerland into the Davis Cup semi-finals last weekend, a boost to his rising confidence.

Nadal is starting his huge spring task of defending four 2013 titles on his surface of choice, with the Spaniard winning Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and an eighth trophy at Roland Garros.

After losing the Miami final a fortnight ago to archrival Djokovic, Spain’s world number one finds himself back in his tennis comfort zone.

And with all the pressure on his game for the next two months on the dirt, Nadal needs to keep his confidence sky-high.

“I’m now at the top of the (points) race arriving to the clay court season,” he said.