Djokovic: I can beat Nadal on clay

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:26

Nadal claimed his fifth successive Monte Carlo Masters title with a 6-3 2-6 6-1 win over Djokovic in Sunday’s final, and he continues to look unbeatable on his favoured surface. However, Djokovic produced what he felt was his best performance against the Spaniard on the dirt, bossing the second set and having break points early in the third before eventually caving in.

“Playing him on this surface is in itself a true challenge to find the right tactics,” the Serbian said, who slipped to a seventh successive defeat to Nadal on clay. “But I really believe that one day I can beat him on this surface. I can do it.”

He added: “I will have to raise my level still further, as I did in the second set here.”

Sunday’s match panned out in a similar way to last year’s meeting between the two players in Hamburg, when Nadal won 7-5 2-6 6-2.

That was the closest Djokovic had come to worrying Nadal on clay but he feels he took a step forward in Monte Carlo.

“I found that here I had more chances to win the match because the playing conditions were quicker and that is an advantage for me,” he said.

“But once again, I didn’t succeed in breaking him first in the third set, which would probably have changed things.”

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