Novak Djokovic: Rafael Nadal is by far the most successful claycourt player of all time
Novak Djokovic will have to wait for his next chance to meet Rafael Nadal on the tennis court, their last meeting coming at the French Open last year. Nadal is the "most successful" claycourt player of all time according to Djokovic, and the Serb views his absence from the Monte Carlo Masters as an opportunity.
The duo could have met in the final of the Wimbledon Championships last year. But while Djokovic reached the summit clash, Nadal pulled out of his semifinal encounter against Nick Kyrgios due to injury.
Things haven't been smooth for the 14-time French Open champion this year either. Fitness concerns have prevented him from playing since the Australian Open, where he exited in the second round and Djokovic secured the title to win his 22nd Grand Slam.
The Mallorcan has pulled out of the ongoing Monte-Carlo Masters too, while his fellow 22-time Major winner is the top seed. Speaking to the press ahead of his campaign, Djokovic called his arch-rival's absence a loss for the tournament and tennis in general.
However, the 35-year-old also admitted that the absence of Nadal, an 11-time champion in Monte-Carlo, has given him and the rest of the pack an opportunity to grab the title.
“Of course, in one way it’s a loss for the tournament and for tennis in general, because he’s by far the most successful clay court tennis player of all time,” he said. “We know how many times he has won Monaco and all the other events we played. But on the other hand, it’s an opportunity, I think, for for all of us others, when he’s not there to try to go far and grab a title.”
The Serb then spoke about his own form leading up to the Masters 1000 event. Forced to miss the Sunshine Double due to being denied entry into the US for vaccine-related reasons, Djokovic remarked that he has had more time to practice on clay than most others.
Having won the title in Monte-Carlo only twice previously, and faced early exits in the last few editions, Novak Djokovic expressed hope that his campaign this year would be much better.
“The last couple of years I’m used to it, you know. I mean, I haven’t played America last year at all and then this year again. But it’s okay. You know, it is what it is. I did more training on clay, which is, of course, positive, if you think about the clay season," Djokovic said.
“And I haven’t had much success in Monte Carlo in the last three years, I haven’t played really good tennis here. So I’m hoping that this year I can start to play better than I did in the previous years and hopefully build my form as I’m coming closer to Paris,” he added.
"Anywhere you go, any tournament you play, you want to you want to win" - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic reiterated that he looks to peak at the Slams every year while also trying his best to win every tournament he plays.
Having won every big tournament on the tennis calendar already - twice over, it should be noted - the 22-time Grand Slam champion intends to draw inspiration from his past exploits and put his best foot forward in Monte-Carlo.
"Anywhere you go, any tournament you play, you want to you want to win. I mean, at least that’ has been my mentality for many years. And I have won basically all the [big] tournaments so I always have that kind of in the back of my mind, approaching the tournament again, knowing that I have done it, why not to think that I can do it again," Djokovic said.