Rafael Nadal, despite losing to his Serbian rival Novak Djokovic in their semifinal showdown, feels upbeat for the rest of the clay-court season because of his solid campaign at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Nadal might have failed to win his 9th Monte Carlo title but he believes a 'positive week' on the red-dirt of Monaco after two successive early setbacks at Indian Wells and Miami bodes well for him in the next tournaments.
Despite succumbing to Djokovic in two sets 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday, Nadal claimed that he did all the right things to keep the match competitive as he could. He added the recent showdown with his Serbian would help him get used to the level of tennis as he looks to completely overcome the nerve problem that has plagued him early this season.
"The way that I played yesterday and for moments today is the way that I want to play. Just with more matches playing like this, I will be confident enough to play. That level will not be the exception; it will be the normal thing. That is the thing that I need to make happen," Nadal told the press during the post-match news conference via ATP News.
With Nadal finding a silver lining in his Monte Carlo Masters campaign despite coming up short of ending his 11-month ATP Masters 1000 drought, it would be intriguing how much improvement the Mallorcan Bull would have at the Barcelona Open. On the other hand, Djokovic keeps on proving that he's the best in the world right now, as he's in the cusp of winning his third Masters crown of the year.
