It turns out that Rafael Nadal's dominance on clay isn't simply being a product of his environment.
Tennis.com reported that although Nadal grew up playing on the clay courts in his native Spain, he now only plays about five or six events on the surface per year.
Thus, the world's No. 1 player says he requires an adjustment period when clay season begins.
"Let's not forget I only play five or six tournaments on clay a year," Nadal told reporters in Monte Carlo, according to tennis.com. "The rest of the time I play on hard courts. I do not practice on clay, so I need time to make adjustments to my game to find my rhythm. I have to learn once again how to set up points to achieve victory."
So when he starts playing tournaments in clay, Nadal admitted he felt in the dark about the state of his game on clay. That is the case again in 2014 as he gets ready to play the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters.
"I don't know where I am, but I feel good," said Nadal. "My practices have gone well."
That doesn't bode well for Nadal's opponents on clay. He has won eight of the last nine Monte Carlo events, although his eight-year reign came to an end in 2013 with a loss to Novak Djokovic.
Nadal also is going for his ninth French Open championship in May, a feat that would be unmatched in the tournament's history. Nadal's only non-winning year happened in 2009 since 2005.
It is evident that Nadal still is better than every other current player on clay, a fact he attributes to his preferred surface from his days as a child player.
"It's easier for me than for the guys who started playing on hard courts when they were young," Nadal told tennis.com.
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