Rafael Nadal: Italian Open Victory Has Rafa Ready for French Open

With two straight victories over Novak Djokovic and the Italian Open trophy under his belt in recent months, Rafael Nadal couldn't be more ready to dominate the French Open.

The lights are shining bright on Djokovic as he attempts to become only the third man in history to hold all four Grand Slams at the same time. Nadal has less attention focused on him and just as good a chance to win in Paris.

Fellow French Open participant Andy Murray recently spoke with Yahoo! Sports about the new Italian Open champion's chances to win the upcoming tournament:

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He won it when he was maybe 17 the first time, or 18. That, to me, is what's been most impressive about it. It's obviously still going, as well. I'm sure he'll have more great runs [in the French Open].

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Nadal is heading into the tournament at Roland Garros with considerable momentum and the fact he's already won in Paris an astounding six times means he should be the odds-on favorite to take home the gold.

The talented Spaniard talked with ESPN about overcoming the seven straight losses to Djokovic:

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You have to accept that the normal thing is [losing], because only one wins the tournament, and be patient to work for your moment. I think I accepted well the losses, I worked to keep being competitive.

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Nadal also told ABC News that when you lose, you play with doubts. Well, now that he has two straight victories over his latest and greatest tennis rival, Nadal can head into the French Open doubt-free.

Now Rafa heads back to the clay court of Roland Garros that propelled him to fame back in the earlier part of his career, ready to take home yet another French Open title and further cement the fact he is once again on Djokovic's level if they are to meet in the final.

Perhaps heading into the French tournament, it is Nadal's rival that is now playing with doubt considering his comments to ABC News in the same article. The tournament's No.1 seed stated:

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He is always the favorite, even if I win against him seven times. He is the best player in the world on this surface.

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Both Murray, Djokovic and the rest of the field at Roland Garros know that clay is where Nadal is the most dangerous, and there's little reason that the Spaniard cannot win again in Paris.