Rafa, Novak face major tests in clay season start

MONTE CARLO: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will face key physical and mental tests as the European clay-court season kicks off today (Sunday) at the Monte Carlo Masters.For 11-time tournament champion Nadal, it’s all about his troublesome left knee. For Djokovic, the major goal will be to emerge from a minor slump which left the world number one short of the quarter-finals at both the Indian Wells and Miami Masters events last month. Djokovic has plenty on the line at his home base in Monaco, with the 31-year-old looking ahead to completing a possible “Djoko Slam” with a French Open title in two months. The Nadal camp has put a positive spin on the condition of Spain’s king of clay, posting on social media footage of a final practice session before he left his Mallorca home to train at the Monte Carlo Country Club.

from The News International - Sports http://bit.ly/2v5oldE