Rafael Nadal: Will He Dominate the Clay Court Season Once More?

Rafael Nadal's cruise has come to an end.

The World No. 1, who has not won a title since Tokyo last October, will begin his quest to defend his titles in Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

The good news for the Spaniard is he could have afford to have an average start of the season for his standard.

Nadal was a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open in 2010 as well as 2011, then he was a finalist in Indian Wells and Miami last month. He lost in the semifinals of the first two Masters 1000 of the season last year.

Therefore, Nadal has gained more ATP points this year than he did last year coming to the clay court season, which will help him in the future.

The bad news for the Spaniard is he was beaten twice in succession by this year's "Terminator," Novak Djokovic.

Mentally, Rafa is a monster. He believes in himself and always fights from the first to the last point.

If his opponent gives him one small chance, you can count on Rafa to take it.

Other players are fascinated by him and fear him in equal measure; against Djokovic, this balance of power is reversed on hard court.

The Serbian has such momentum that he feels invincible: When he was down 5-4 then 6-5 in the decisive set of Miami and had to serve to remain in the match, he did not choke and was able to push Rafa to the limits.

Nadal fought until the final-set tie-break, which could have turned his way, and this is to be applauded.

Of course the main question is: Will Djokovic's domination on hard court continue on clay?

There are little reasons not to see him as dominant against most of the players.

Keep in mind the current World No. 2 had an average clay court season last year, which means he will have even less pressure in the up-coming weeks.

"Nole" was a quarter-finalist in Belgrade, Rome and Paris last year, while Nadal was the winner of all three Masters 1000 events and the French.

On clay the serve is not as important as it is on hard court, which should benefit Nadal.

One of the reasons why "Nole" is so dominant is the efficiency of his first and second serve.

Then he can put the pressure on when returning.

On dirt, it's no longer the same story.

I thought the Belgrade native was at the peak of his game in Miami, while Nadal could still make few improvements, especially with the serve.

The latest news shows Djokovic retiring in Monte Carlo, which should give Nadal a solid edge moving forward.

The Spaniard is scheduled to play four clay court events going to Roland Garros. If he were to win Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, I would not be surprised to see him pull out of Rome in order to stay fresh.

Who could really upset Nadal in the upcoming weeks on the "terre battue"?

David Ferrer, Nicolas Almagro, Fernando Verdasco, Robin Söderling, Juan-Martin Del Potro, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are all in the mix.

Among the seven contenders, the Swede and the Swiss are the only two players to have done the unthinkable.

Federer beat Nadal in Madrid two years ago; so did  Söderling, who made headlines all over the world by doing it at the French Open.

There was also Juan-Carlo Ferrero at the Italian Open in 2008, and Igor Andreev in Barcelona four years ago.

It can be done, but it will be far from easy to upset the clay maestro, especially if he is at the top of his form.

Although, the competition is much tougher than it was a year ago and I don't think Rafa's  runs will be as easy as it was last year.

Nadal starts his campaign on Wednesday against Finland's Jarko Nieminen as he eyes his 7th consecutive Monte Carlo title.