Filed under: Tennis, French Open
There are only two men capable of ending Novak Djokovic's seemingly never-ending winning streak at the French Open - and the good news is Andy Murray is one of them.Whether it be modesty or mind games, the Serb, who could leapfrog Rafael Nadal into pole position in the rankings in Paris, insists his rival remains the man to beat.
But having made it four wins out of four against the Spaniard this year - twice on clay in the space of eight days - Djokovic is firmly the man to beat at Roland Garros, which begins next Monday.
Incredibly, he has won all 37 of his matches in 2011 and, worryingly for Nadal, he has not even dropped a set against the world No. 1 on what is widely regarded the muscular Mallorcan's strongest surface.
"He's the king of clay, he's the best ever to play on this surface, he's been so dominant on clay courts," said Djokovic. "Yes, I won two matches in the last eight days and that's incredible for me, it gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the French Open. But it's just two tournaments whereas he's been so dominant for so many years."
Nadal's assessment of the landscape is more realistic, however he has put the pressure on the Serb heading into the second Grand Slam of the Year.
"He's playing the best right now," Nadal said. "In the last few months he's been at a different level. He's doing amazing things. He's playing with a lot of confidence. I'm the second in the race. My goal is to be there the next time.
"But the big champions are not just those that are able to win every week but those that are able to wait until the right moment. I've beaten him in the past but now he's beating me. There are always ups and downs in a career."
With Roger Federer's days of dominance looking well and truly behind him, that leaves a resurgent Murray as the other serious contender.
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