Rafael Nadal has looked stronger than ever since returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for most of last year and in the finals of the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday, he will be facing a familiar foe in Novak Djokovic, the number one ranked player and last years runner up at the event to Nadal.
The clay court season has been kind to Nadal and he has experience playing in the finals at Monte Carlo, where he has won eight straight titles, including 46 matches in a row on the red clay in Monaco.
Nadal looks back to his old self after missing months with knee issues and he made it into the finals after defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the semifinals, while Djokovic easily took down Fabio Fognini in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 to set up the rematch. Nadal's best surface is clay and his eight straight wins at Monte Carlo proves that the former number one player has an advantage over Djokovic in finals on that surface. Djokovic had an injury scare in Davis Cup play earlier in the month, but his play in Monte Carlo has shown no signs of being hampered by it.
The last time the two played was also on clay, but in the finals of the French Open, which will go down next month and if Monte Carlo is any indication, this is just the first round of it all. Nadal first won the tournament in 2005 and he hasn't lost at the event since 2003. Djokovic has the advantage in Grand Slam finals between the two and Nadal enters the match after having a battle with Tsonga in the second set, as the Frenchman came back from a 5-1 deficit to force a tiebreaker. Fognini was easily defeated by Djokovic, who did his work in less than an hour to advance to the finals. Nadal hasn't played in a Grand Slam since losing in the second round at Wimbledon and his play at Monte Carlo and is aiming to get through the rest of the season without any major injuries. The hard courts could be tough on his knees, but the clay is much more forgiving which is one reason for his dominance.
