Rafael Nadal feels that the defence of his Monte-Carlo Masters title will be the start of his 2018 season.
The world number one heads into the clay court season having lead Spain to Davis Cup victory against Germany in Valencia as he beat Philipp Kohlschreiber and Alexander Zverev in comfortable fashion. However the Spaniard has only played one other tournament this season which was at the Australian Open, where he retired in the Quarter-Finals.
However despite his lack of playing time, the 16 time grand slam champion is eager to get started, “I had a good training week, first of all, I recovered a few days after having some tense days in the Davis Cup.” Nadal explained. “I am eager to start playing, since I have only played one tournament this year, in Australia but I retired. So it feels like I am starting not just the clay season, but the 2018 season.”
The Spaniard reclaimed the world number one spot in March after Roger Federer lost his second round match to Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Miami Open. However the Spaniard has four clay court titles to defend in the coming months and could soon lose the world number if he fails to defend these titles. Despite the defence of his points, Nadal is not thinking about this as he remains optimistic, “I don’t think of the points I have to defend. My mind is on getting ready for the five upcoming clay tournaments which are so important for me. I want to stay healthy, give my best and play as best as possible.”
Nadal will be looking for his 11th Roland Garros title in June and has only los two of his 106 best of five matches on the clay courts.
