Novak Djokovic Thinks He Can Beat Nadal on Clay

Novak Djokovic, who is currently undefeated this season, is confident that he might be able to beat Rafael Nadal on clay, even though Rafa is 9-0 against Djokovic on clay.

"Important for me, mentally," Djokovic said Sunday. "I have this self-belief that I can win against him in finals, which I didn't do in the past couple of years.

"If I want to have a shot at No. 1, I will have to play consistently well in major tournaments because I know Roger and Rafa will do that if I don't."

Djokovic has beaten Nadal in two straight finals, including the Sony Ericsson Cup and the BNP Paribas Open. But that was on hard court. Can Novak really beat the man whom Andy Roddick once described as the King of Clay?

According to Djokovic, he is basically at the top of his game, so it may be now or never for the 23-year-old to prove his abilities against both Rafa and Federer.

"I believe this year I'm a different player by all means. I think I'm physically very fit, very fast," said Djokovic. "I feel more powerful on the court overall, and the confidence I have is at the highest point possible."

Roger Federer, who lost his last three matches against Djokovic, thinks highly of Djokovic and is not surprised by his amazing season so far.

"I always said it over and over again -- to me, he didn't need to prove his point," said Federer. "By winning a second major, winning back-to-back Masters 1000s, going on a streak like he's doing right now, I knew he could do it.

"It focuses on something very positive in the game. There's been different times when we talked about gambling, doping, other stupid things that are annoying to talk about. This is something very positive."

(Sources: Associated Press)

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