Men's Players Most in Need of a Strong Showing at the 2015 Monte Carlo Masters

As hard courts are swapped for clay, some of the men on the ATP Tour will be hoping to exchange poor form for good form. Those players are in need of a strong performance in Monte Carlo this week.

Tomas Berdych has avoided taking an early exit in all his tournaments this year but has little to show for it. Monte Carlo will give him another opportunity to seal his breakthrough win of the year.

Stan Wawrinka finds himself in ninth position in the rankings after three consecutive outings in which he has failed to perform to his high standards. Last year's winner will be eager to defend his title, if only to reverse his slack form.

The following slides will analyse the four men who will be gearing up for a win that could change their season.

Grigor Dimitrov

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You could be forgiven for thinking that Grigor Dimitrov's racket smash at the Australian Open had, in fact, come in any of his last four tournaments. 

The Bulgarian is not playing the same standard of tennis you would expect from a man who was nicknamed "Baby Fed." Pressure, indeed.

It's hard enough to make a name for yourself in tennis without having to contend with someone else's. The nickname, both enviable and precarious, isn't befitting of the man at this moment.

Ryan Harrison and Gilles Muller have both beaten Dimitrov since Melbourne. His most recent defeat came against John Isner at the Miami Open.

If anyone needs a strong performance in Monte Carlo, it's Dimitrov. With three Grand Slams remaining, he has a real chance to still make a lasting impression on the year. 

If he can assert himself in Monte Carlo and then the French Open, that 0-6 game against Harrison will seem as insignificant as that tired nickname. 

Tomas Berdych

J Pat Carter/Associated Press

Every sport has "nearly men." Audiences love them because they provide great drama, even if there's a slight sense of inevitability.

Step forward, Tomas Berdych.

Few on the ATP Tour can lay claim to a season as consistent as the Czech's. In six tournaments he has reached at least the quarter-finals in all of them, even making two finals.

It is ironic then, that the invisible chains that hold the nearly man back have been all too clear for Berdych.

He has been relentless against those outside the top 10 but undone by those in it.

Monte Carlo is another opportunity for Berdych to crack the formula and secure his first title since Stockholm in October.

As prized an asset as the nearly man is, Berdych will know that the role of leading man is where the true appreciation lies.  

Rafael Nadal

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As declines go, Rafael Nadal dropping to fifth in the ATP Tour rankings will hardly cause shock waves. Yet it is an indictment of the situation he finds himself in.

Without any semblance of the same dominant figure the game once revered, Nadal cuts an intriguing figure these days.

Yes, injuries and time have taken a toll; that's a cross that all greats have to bear. 

The Guardian reported Nadal's admission that he has suffered from nerves and that he is "still a little anxious." The successor to the king of the clay court is being lined up right in front of him. Whether anyone has the potential to take that crown this year remains to be seen.

A defeat to Fernando Verdasco in the round of 32 in Miami was not so much surprising as it was just another step on Nadal's indecipherable path.

His showing in Monte Carlo is likely to give some idea as to whether the path will veer toward a 10th French Open.

Stan Wawrinka

J Pat Carter/Associated Press

Split Stan Wawrinka's year so far in half and you'll have three good tournaments and three bad. He'll be hoping Monte-Carlo isn't the ugly one.

He took titles in Chennai and Rotterdam, with a semi-final defeat at the Australian Open sandwiched in between.

In the three tournaments since, he hasn't progressed past the quarter-final stage, losing to Adrian Mannarino in Miami most recently.

Wawrinka's slump since beating Berdych in Rotterdam needs addressing if he is to stand a chance of improving his poor performance against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at Roland Garros last year.

His generosity against Mannarino should be commended, after he offered to replay a controversial point. However, he'll need to rediscover a mean streak to hold onto the Monte Carlo title.