Clay court master Nadal still hoping for win in Monaco
RAFAEL Nadal admitted yesterday that his incredible 42-match, 10-year unbeaten run at Monte Carlo will end one day, but he is in no hurry to see that day.
The 26-year-old Spaniard, who last lost on the clay of Monte Carlo as a fresh-faced 16year-old when then-clay court king Guillermo Coria defeated him in straight sets in the third round, also claimed he is not the clear favourite he has been in the past.
Nadal is bidding for an unprecedented ninth straight title at the Masters event in the heart of the Côte d’Azur but says his recent seven-month injury lay-off means he cannot be treated as the all-conquering clay Caesar of old. “I cannot say I’m the biggest favourite to win here again,” he said. “This is not an easy event to win. I don’t want to lose perspective, but I don’t want to lose either.
“Everything in life finishes sometime. Someday the winning will stop, not everything is forever,” he said as he prepared for his second-round start after a bye. “But I’m excited to be here, it is always a high motivation for me to play Monte Carlo.”
Nadal, who won the Indian Wells hardcourt Masters 1000 crown three weeks ago and then rested his troublesome knees on the advice of doctors, remains quietly confident of his abilities on clay, where he has dominated for a decade. While missing seven months of ATP play during the last half of last year and well into this year, he knows he has the skills to step right back into his role as clay court master.
However, he is not happy to be continually fielding questions about the state of his knees or his perceived form. “I want to focus on the tennis day by day,” he said. “I don’t want to talk knees, if I’m here, I’m here to compete.
“I will try my best and hope to play better each day. I had a fantastic comeback (two February clay titles in Latin America before winning Indian Wells).” Nadal said that while standing fifth in the world, he is not prepared to complain about his ranking.
“You can’t be in the top four if you did not play for seven months,” he said. Sapa-AFP