Rafael Nadal made his comeback into the competitive tennis and, at the time, is hard to anticipate how big this season will be for the so-called ''King of Clay''. The current world No.1, Nadal hasn't had the start of the year he and many others had anticipated. Before engaging in the long battle on the European red clay he had zero titles under his belt in 2018 and a lack of luster seemed to have been installed.
Davis Cup saw Nadal killing off the German team almost by himself. Now, he is in yet another Masters 1000 semis and the 11th Monte Carlo title is just two matches away from his grip.
Nadal must feel the pressure though, as he will lose the current spot to Roger Federer unless he wins the tournament.
Rafael Nadal will face Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the singles final
Seeded first in Monte Carlo, Nadal is yet to drop a set at this tournament. The semifinal stages came down to two interesting clashes. The young German Alexander Zverev will take on Kei Nishikori for a place in the final round. The Japanese player seems to have found some of that lost mojo while Zverev seeks a place in what could be his fourth Masters 1000 final and the second of the season after gaining the runner-up status at Miami.
When it comes to the second semifinal, the two opponents had completely different paths up to this point.
Rafael Nadal presents a clean sheet and a crushing display of tennis overall. On the other side will stand Grigor Dimitrov who seeks a second Masters 1000 title. Reaching the semis didn't come cheaply for the Bulgarian who had to put in a lot of resources to book his spot for this round.
Rafael Nadal can take advantage of the current state of the ATP circuit
Another Monte Carlo title could land in Nadal's pocket but that would be only the beginning. At this point, his tennis is at least one class above any other opponent. Moreover, those who used to test him hard on this surface are either out-of-form, injured or they simply took the decision to skip this part of the season (Roger Federer and partially Juan Martin del Potro).
Djokovic, Murray, and Wawrinka are yet to fully return which means that Zverev and Dimitrov are the only ones with a chance to bother Nadal.
But, there is no purpose in being over-pessimistic about the matter as the chances are good for us to witness yet another ruthless display of tennis from Rafael Nadal's side.
The clay court season is that part of the year when Rafael Nadal reinvents himself over and over again. Why should this time be a different affair?
