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Charles Perrin has previewed the Monte Carlo Masters and explains why Rafael Nadal will use the tournament as a launchpad for success at Roland Garros...

"The world No 2 feels like a confident bet for the French Open and he is already trading at 2.14 to triumph at Roland Garros again."

Rafael Nadal is trying to put the toils of the hard court swing behind him as he prepares for the French Open.

A knee injury forced him to pull out of his Indian Wells semi-final clash against Roger Federer and after sitting out of the Miami Open too, Nadal is hoping to get some momentum quickly on his favoured clay surface.

With the Monte Carlo Masters just a couple of weeks away, Nadal can hit his stride and the tournament can act as a launchpad for continued supremacy at Roland Garros.


Clay Court King almost untouchable
Nadal has been an indomitable force on the red dirt and he is gunning for his 12th Monte Carlo Masters crown. The Spaniard has redefined shot making on clay and with his heavy topspin, he has often left his opponents befuddled.

Nadal's dominance on clay is undeniable where 33 of his 50 Big Titles - which is a combination of Masters, Grand Slams and ATP Finals - have come.

And should he win all four Big Titles on clay for the second time since 2010, Nadal will move level with Roger Federer, who in defeating John Isner in the Miami Open final, landed his 54th Big Title.

The world No 2 feels like a confident bet for the French Open and he is already trading at 2.14 to triumph at Roland Garros again.

Nadal has been a one-off and Monte Carlo Masters tournament director, Zeljko Franulovic, is adamant that we should enjoy his talents while he is still around, admitting, "It's impossible to find a new Nadal on clay".

"There are less clay-courts specialists, on the contrary of what you could see in the past with Spaniards or Italians. The current Tour makes you flexible.

"Novak Djokovic plays well on clay the way he does on hard or grass, as well as Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem as well who just won in Indian Wells."


Novak Djokovic challenge
While Nadal has a lot of clay points to defend, Djokovic will no doubt rise to the challenge.

The pair have met 53 times over the course of their careers and Djokovic has experienced some success against his nemesis on clay.

Djokovic's surprise defeat to Marco Cecchinato in the French Open quarter-finals last year raised some question marks, but since then, the Serbian has barely put a foot wrong.

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Nadal had no answer for Djokovic in the Australian Open final where he was conclusively beaten in three bruising sets.

Djokovic has had Nadal's number at times and it is one of the greatest rivalries in the history of tennis. If anyone can knock Nadal off course, then Djokovic is well placed to do so.

Djokovic is tucked in just behind Nadal in the outright market for the French Open at 3.35.


Best of the rest
With Roger Federer not due to make his return to clay in Madrid next month, there could be challenges from elsewhere.

Dominic Thiem (11.00) has looked more at home on clay over the past season, and despite his earlier than anticipated exit from Miami, he got his hands on his first masters title at Indian Wells.

The Austrian has got the better over Nadal in the past on clay, although he came unstuck last year in the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters as well as being on the receiving end of a drubbing in the French Open final.

Thiem's ability to mix it up makes him an intriguing component.

Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas has come of age in the past few years and his rapid rise which has seen him climb to a career-high world ranking of eight, helped him take the game by storm.

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The Greek lost in his first Masters final against Nadal in Barcelona last year, but he is likely to be a significant threat. He is currently priced at 60.00 to win his first Slam at the French Open.

And you can't discount Alexander Zverev, although he is still searching for his best form.

The German reached the final of the Mexican Open in February, but he knows his way around a clay court and already has two titles to his name - Madrid and Rome.

Zverev is fairly priced at 16.00 to lift the French Open despite being unable to translate his form at Masters level to the Grand Slam arena.