Djokovic gets another shot at Nadal in Monte Carlo

Who will come out on top on the road to Roland Garros?

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are at it again. Monte Carlo is about to bear witness to Djokovic’s bid to dethrone the ‘King of Clay’ from his throne. In a repeat of the 2012 final, Nadal and Djokovic are set to usher in the clay swing with their grinding rallies and relentless baseline play. The only caveat this time is that both of them are still nursing injuries which forced them to take a break; a seven-month layoff for one and a few days for the other. The irony was not lost on Nadal who remarked, “He stopped for, what, a few days for his ankle?”

Djokovic appeared to be in fine form this year after bagging the Australian Open. But losses to Del Potro and Tommy Haas, that too on his favoured hard courts, have set the critics tongues wagging . Even his first two matches in Monte Carlo went the distance to 3 sets. Djokovic, however, played like a true champion and clinched critical points in those matches and seems to have kicked his game into a higher gear, as evident by his ruthless wins in the quarters and semis. The splits are back and so are the clean ground strokes off both wings. Djokovic’s swagger is back too, and he must be fancying his chances against Nadal even in Monte Carlo.

To say that Monte Carlo is Nadal’s favourite hunting ground might be an understatement. He has used this particular title as a springboard to achieve greater success in the ensuing clay court tournaments. It was the title here in 2010 that kick-started his phenomenal run in the course of which he captured the 3 remaining Grand Slams that year. He ended an almost year-long title drought with that title. Even in the 2012 final, Nadal was able to use this ‘home turf’ advantage to put an end to the streak of 7 losses to Djokovic in finals. The 2012 title brought great joy to the Nadal camp because it represented the culmination of all their efforts which were directed to solve the Djokovic conundrum. Nadal added weight to his racket head and improved his forehand down the line in order to negate the Djokovic backhand and it was an arduous learning process during which Nadal had to finish the second best in 3 Grand Slam finals. Nadal fans will be hoping that Monte Carlo once again proves to be the place for Nadal to begin his Roland Garros defense with a telling victory over Djokovic.

Things have changed since Nadal’s last title here. While Nadal was out of the tour, Djokovic had compiled impressive victories in 2012, winning the ATP World Tour and retaining his number one ranking. His mental toughness and his resolve even while facing tough odds have made Djokovic the man to beat on the circuit. The Murray and Djokovic rivalry was heralded as the new showpiece for world tennis. Few people anticipated Nadal’s comeback to be successful and fewer still gave him a fighting chance in Indian Wells. But Nadal does not come in the same mould as Federer to return after a hiatus and still manage to rake up victories. He needed to build up steam before the clay season began and he did exactly that by taking it step by step, going to South America and making his way through the less-fancied tournaments. His game in 2013 seems to have a few improvements as well. He is using his backhand as a weapon more effectively now, going down the line more often than before. This also reduces the wear and tear on his knees as he does not need to run around the backhand to unleash his forehand. He has improved his serve significantly too, making it count during the big points.

The heavy artillery of the players will be mitigated by the slower clay courts which will definitely make it impossible to hit clean winners, especially with the phenomenal set of wheels both of them have. In 2011, Djokovic had repeatedly used his devastating backhand to force Nadal out of the court whenever Nadal dropped his forehand short. This had been countered by Nadal in 2012 by using his forehand down the line more often and exposing Djokovic’s weaker forehand. Nadal had to beef up his serve as it was not troubling Djokovic earlier owing to his superior returning skills. The chinks in his game that Novak exploited in 2011 seem to be non-existent. Having played each other 33 times, both of them know what to expect from the other.

It is going to be a battle of wills as well as skills. If the Nadal of 2013, who has been going on the offensive a bit more than the Nadal of 2011, can maintain a positive mindset and not lapse back into a game of retrieving Djokovic’s shots, he can definitely triumph once again in Monte Carlo.

My prediction: It is going to be Nadal who will take the game in three sets of lengthy rallies and counter-punching tennis with breathtaking shots and retrievals. I have my popcorn ready. Do you?