<p>Rafael Nadal targets a ninth French Open title with his lethal claycourt game and enduring confidence facing their biggest crisis in a decade.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Spaniard, whose stirring comeback from a seventh-month injury lay-off was one of 2013's headline acts, boasts a formidable record of eight titles, 59 wins and just one defeat on Roland Garros's famed crushed red brick.<br /><br />But the cracks are beginning to show.<br /><br />With his 28th birthday just around the corner, the world number one has spent the spring strangely disorientated on the same European clay courts where he once conducted business with a deadly if humble precision.<br /><br />His defeat to world number two Novak Djokovic -- the man many expect to dethrone him as king of Paris on June 8 -- in Sunday's Rome Masters final marked the first time since 2004 that he had lost three claycourt matches in the same year.<br /><br />Nadal, a seven-time Rome champion, was taken to three sets in four of his five matches in the Italian capital.<br /><br />He successfully defended his Madrid Masters title but only after Kei Nishikori, having won the first set of the final, was forced to retire with a back injury.<br /><br />Before that, Nadal was knocked out in the quarter-finals in Barcelona by compatriot Nicolas Almagro and exited the Monte Carlo Masters also at the last-eight stage at the hands of David Ferrer.<br /><br />At both those events, Nadal was an eight-time champion.<br /><br />But Nadal is not reaching for the panic button just yet. He still boasts a 13-4 claycourt record over Djokovic, including victory in the 2012 Roland Garros final and in the 2013 semi-finals where he had trailed 4-2 in the fifth set.<br /><br />"Two weeks ago, my chances to play well in Roland Garros were not very high. But I will arrive now more encouraged," insisted Nadal, who will nevertheless go to Paris with just one European claycourt title for the first time in 10 years.<br /><br />Djokovic is the man in ascendancy. The right wrist injury which forced him to miss Madrid was forgotten in his fightback from a set down to beat Nadal in Rome.<br /><br />The Serb fired an incredible 46 winners to the Spaniard's 15 -- an almost unheard of brutality on a slow claycourt with Djokovic keeping Nadal on the backfoot with his willingness to come to the net and confidence in his ability to hit forehand winners.<br /><br />Djokovic, who still needs a French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, has now beaten Nadal in their last four meetings.<br /><br />He has also captured five of the last seven Masters and could reclaim the world top ranking by the end of Roland Garros.<br /><br />"I played with no pain and increased the level of tennis as the week in Rome went on," said Djokovic, who turns 27 on Thursday.<br /><br />"Winning against Rafa in the final of a big tournament on clay, his preferred surface, is definitely a confidence booster. Experience helped me stay calm and play the right shots at the right time."<br /><br />Federer, Wawrinka threats -<br />Nadal and Djokovic's biggest threats are likely to come from Roger Federer, the 2009 champion, and his rejuvenated Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka, this year's shock Australian Open winner.<br /><br />Federer, who will be 33 in August, could be forgiven for being distracted.<br /><br />He lost his first round clash in Rome, having only made a late decision to play following the birth of his and wife Mirka's second set of twins on May 6.<br /><br />The 17-time major winner hopes to have all of his four children -- newly-arrived Lenny and Leo and Myla and Charlene, who were born in 2009 -- in Paris.<br /><br />The world number four Swiss will be playing Roland Garros for the 16th time, but his last two visits have ended in defeats in the semi-finals and quarter-finals.<br /><br />World number three Wawrinka added the Monte Carlo Masters title to his Australian Open trophy by beating Federer but then suffered early defeats in Madrid and Rome.<br /><br />The 29-year-old's best French Open was last year where he made the quarter-finals, losing to Nadal in straight sets.<br /><br />Elsewhere, Andy Murray, whose decision to skip the French Open in 2013 paid handsome dividends in the shape of the Wimbledon title, was a semi-finalist in 2011.<br /><br />But the Briton has never won a claycourt title. That suggests veteran David Ferrer, the runner-up to Nadal last year, and new generation stars such as Rome semi-finalists Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov as well as Barcelona champion Nishikori are most likely to be tournament dangermen.</p>
<p>Rafael Nadal targets a ninth French Open title with his lethal claycourt game and enduring confidence facing their biggest crisis in a decade.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Spaniard, whose stirring comeback from a seventh-month injury lay-off was one of 2013's headline acts, boasts a formidable record of eight titles, 59 wins and just one defeat on Roland Garros's famed crushed red brick.<br /><br />But the cracks are beginning to show.<br /><br />With his 28th birthday just around the corner, the world number one has spent the spring strangely disorientated on the same European clay courts where he once conducted business with a deadly if humble precision.<br /><br />His defeat to world number two Novak Djokovic -- the man many expect to dethrone him as king of Paris on June 8 -- in Sunday's Rome Masters final marked the first time since 2004 that he had lost three claycourt matches in the same year.<br /><br />Nadal, a seven-time Rome champion, was taken to three sets in four of his five matches in the Italian capital.<br /><br />He successfully defended his Madrid Masters title but only after Kei Nishikori, having won the first set of the final, was forced to retire with a back injury.<br /><br />Before that, Nadal was knocked out in the quarter-finals in Barcelona by compatriot Nicolas Almagro and exited the Monte Carlo Masters also at the last-eight stage at the hands of David Ferrer.<br /><br />At both those events, Nadal was an eight-time champion.<br /><br />But Nadal is not reaching for the panic button just yet. He still boasts a 13-4 claycourt record over Djokovic, including victory in the 2012 Roland Garros final and in the 2013 semi-finals where he had trailed 4-2 in the fifth set.<br /><br />"Two weeks ago, my chances to play well in Roland Garros were not very high. But I will arrive now more encouraged," insisted Nadal, who will nevertheless go to Paris with just one European claycourt title for the first time in 10 years.<br /><br />Djokovic is the man in ascendancy. The right wrist injury which forced him to miss Madrid was forgotten in his fightback from a set down to beat Nadal in Rome.<br /><br />The Serb fired an incredible 46 winners to the Spaniard's 15 -- an almost unheard of brutality on a slow claycourt with Djokovic keeping Nadal on the backfoot with his willingness to come to the net and confidence in his ability to hit forehand winners.<br /><br />Djokovic, who still needs a French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, has now beaten Nadal in their last four meetings.<br /><br />He has also captured five of the last seven Masters and could reclaim the world top ranking by the end of Roland Garros.<br /><br />"I played with no pain and increased the level of tennis as the week in Rome went on," said Djokovic, who turns 27 on Thursday.<br /><br />"Winning against Rafa in the final of a big tournament on clay, his preferred surface, is definitely a confidence booster. Experience helped me stay calm and play the right shots at the right time."<br /><br />Federer, Wawrinka threats -<br />Nadal and Djokovic's biggest threats are likely to come from Roger Federer, the 2009 champion, and his rejuvenated Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka, this year's shock Australian Open winner.<br /><br />Federer, who will be 33 in August, could be forgiven for being distracted.<br /><br />He lost his first round clash in Rome, having only made a late decision to play following the birth of his and wife Mirka's second set of twins on May 6.<br /><br />The 17-time major winner hopes to have all of his four children -- newly-arrived Lenny and Leo and Myla and Charlene, who were born in 2009 -- in Paris.<br /><br />The world number four Swiss will be playing Roland Garros for the 16th time, but his last two visits have ended in defeats in the semi-finals and quarter-finals.<br /><br />World number three Wawrinka added the Monte Carlo Masters title to his Australian Open trophy by beating Federer but then suffered early defeats in Madrid and Rome.<br /><br />The 29-year-old's best French Open was last year where he made the quarter-finals, losing to Nadal in straight sets.<br /><br />Elsewhere, Andy Murray, whose decision to skip the French Open in 2013 paid handsome dividends in the shape of the Wimbledon title, was a semi-finalist in 2011.<br /><br />But the Briton has never won a claycourt title. That suggests veteran David Ferrer, the runner-up to Nadal last year, and new generation stars such as Rome semi-finalists Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov as well as Barcelona champion Nishikori are most likely to be tournament dangermen.</p>