Why Beating Rafael Nadal Won't Impact Novak Djokovic's 2015 French Open

Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. It was Djokovic's fifth clay-court victory over Nadal.

So what?

He can defeat Nadal 100 times on clay, but unless Djokovic does it at the French Open, a victory over the "King of Clay" means nothing.

Once befuddled by Nadal, Djokovic has clearly found a solution to the Spaniard's clay-court prowess.

However, the Serbian's quest to win his first French Open is about more than defeating Nadal. Djokovic's near-misses and miscues at Roland Garros are demons unto themselves.

It's not just the dirt. It's the dirt devils.

Winning the French Open, the one Grand Slam that has eluded Djokovic, will be difficult with or without Nadal in the draw. Djokovic also needs to clear his head of painful losses.

It's more than a clay thing. Nadal holds a 23-20 edge against Djokovic head-to-head. Although most of those wins have come on clay, all five of Djokovic's clay-court victories over Nadal have come in the last four years. Nadal had a nine-match clay-court winning streak against Djokovic until the 2011 World Tour Masters in Madrid.

Djokovic entered that contest on a 33-match winning streak. Nadal had a 37-match winning streak on clay. Djokovic defeated Nadal in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4.

After the match, Nadal told the BBC, "I came up against a great player obviously—he's having a monster year. He was better, you have to accept that."

Then Djokovic defeated Nadal in Rome, a slower surface than the fast clay at Monte Carlo. It seemed Djokovic had reached a turning point. Yet a few weeks later, Djokovic's 43-match winning streak and quest for a French Open title came to an end in the semifinals against Roger Federer.

Djokovic defeated Nadal at Monte Carlo again in 2013. They met in the semifinals of the French Open that year. Ranked No. 1 and inspired by the loss of his long-time coach Jelena Gencic, Djokovic appeared ready to knock Nadal from his clay-court throne.

Nadal crushed Djokovic's spirit. Djokovic squandered a 4-1 lead, and after 87 minutes in the fifth set, Nadal advanced to his ninth French Open final. Djokovic was left to wonder what happened.

A year later, Djokovic defeated Nadal in Rome again. The two met in the final at the 2014 French Open. Djokovic, who was riding a four-match winning streak against Nadal, looked strong early and took the first set. Again, Nadal prevailed. A visibly dejected Djokovic wept during the trophy ceremony.

In his post-match press conference, Djokovic spoke to reporters about how different it is to face Nadal at Roland Garros as opposed to other clay-court venues:

"Obviously his records speak for themselves. He has won this tournament now nine times. It's very impressive what he's playing on this court. He has lost only once in his career on center court. It's definitely not easy best of five to play against him in these conditions."

If record-breaking winning streaks, a No. 1 ranking and recent victories over Nadal on clay were not enough to propel Djokovic to a French Open title, what difference does another trophy in Monte Carlo make?

Besides the big check, none.

When Djokovic steps onto center court at Roland Garros, whether he's playing against Nadal or for a date with destiny, he must conquer seeds of doubt. These seeds, planted by Nadal's dominance at Roland Garros, have taken root in Djokovic's psyche.

These doubts have grown so deep that Djokovic has resorted to trying to psych himself out. During a press conference at Indian Wells, Djokovic told Reuters that the key to winning the French Open was not to put pressure on himself:

"

I don't want to take away too much energy by spending time on thinking, 'Will I make it or not?' The French Open is the grand slam that I have never won but I have had a lot of good tournaments there.

I have played a couple of times the finals and got always a step closer. I use these losses as a way to grow mentally, physically and emotionally and as a player in general to understand what I need to do better the next year.

"

It's next year now. Clay court season has begun. Djokovic has another clay-court victory over Nadal. No pressure? Yeah right.

The real work is taking place in Djokovic's head. That's where he's trying to reconcile his game with his emotions. He's hoping to avoid mental lapses and fifth-set let downs.

Djokovic is keen at figuring things out. This is the guy who turned gluten-free into a training strategy. As he said, he's using last year's failure as a teaching tool.

With difficult lessons to study, Djokovic hopes he's learned enough to win his fist French Open title.

Follow Merlisa Lawrence Corbett on Twitter @merlisa.