Rafael Nadal (Photo : REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)
Rafael Nadal is obviously not at the top of his game as of late, having suffered back-to-back early exits at the Indian Wells Open and Miami Masters. Still, Nadal's struggle with his mental game hasn't changed Novak Djokovic's way of thinking that the Mallorcan Bull remains the man to beat on the red dirt.
Djokovic, coming off back-to-back triumph at Indian Wells and Miami Masters, isn't ready to count out Nadal as the top favorite heading into the clay-court season, believing the Spaniard's previous success on clay-court would prove that he's still the King of Clay.
"Whenever the clay-court season comes around, he is the first player to be mentioned as the favourite in any tournament," Djokovic said of Nadal via Tennis World USA. "They call him 'King of Clay', and he definitely has deserved that crown because of the results and achievements he has in his career, especially on this surface."
Djokovic's comment came in the wake of Nadal's personal bout to fix his nerve problems that have derailed his comeback following several months of inactivity due to a myriad of injuries late last season.
Nadal, who is gunning to win a 10th French Open crown at Roland Garros, admitted that his current dilemma is something he hasn't faced before but he nevertheless vowed to prepare himself well for what would be a wide-open clay-court court season.
According to Douglas Perry of Oregon Live, Nadal needs to step up to the plate in order for him to stay on top of the clay-court food chain, where he has been virtually untouchable the past 10 years until now. Perry added that failure to hoist another French Open title could signal the beginning of an end to Nadal's remarkable reign as the King of Clay.
