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Following a tumultuous first quarter of the season on hard courts, where he was forced to gradually make his way back from a surgery and a spell on the sidelines, world No. 1 Rafael Nadal braces himself for the start of the clay court portion of the season when he steps onto the courts in Monte Carlo to begin his campaign at the Masters 1000 event. His opening match will be against France’s Lucas Pouille, whom he has never faced previously on the tour.

Watch the match live here: Nadal vs Pouille Live Stream

Several weeks ago, the world No. 4’s campaign for his first Miami Open title was put on hold for another year, as the Spaniard crashed out of the third round of the tournament with a loss to Fernando Verdasco. It was a timid performance from Nadal, who rallied from a set down to level the match and force a decider. However, he was unable to stop his fellow countryman from breaking serve in the final set to close out the match 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

While Nadal will always remain the favourite on clay, at least in the eyes of the fans, he insists that he is playing this year’s event with no pressure and should not be expected to trump the competition while he still looking to regain his confidence.

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“The most important thing for me is to feel well on court again, feel confident, feel I am improving,” he said. “I was improving every week before Miami, and in Miami I played bad… If I’m able to find the confidence, to find the tennis here on clay, then it makes everything a little less difficult.

“I am working to be playing well as soon as possible, and if I didn’t believe that I could, I would not be here… If I am here it’s because I have the motivation, the passion, the emotion to keep playing tennis.”

The Spaniard will begin his campaign against Lucas Pouille, the French wildcard who ousted Dominic Thiem in a surprisingly straightforward 6-4, 6-4 win to reach the second round of the tournament.

This is set to the be the first time that Nadal and Pouille will meet on the ATP World Tour, with Nadal set to be the favourite for the match. Although he is mentally shaky, a few showings on the clay should get him back into focus for the pivotal portion of the season to come.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal in Straight Sets

On Tuesday afternoon, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic extended his win streak on the ATP World Tour to 13th consecutive victories to advance to the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters. He will next encounter Andreas Haider-Maurer, whom he has never faced previously on the tour.

Watch the match live here: Djokovic vs Haider-Maurer Live Stream

Although he did lose his serve once in the match, Novak Djokovic still managed to put on a near flawless showing in his first clay court match of the year on the professional tour. He needed 86 minutes to get past Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-4.

“I felt very good,” said Djokovic. “I thought, considering the amount of months that I haven’t played on the clay courts, to play against somebody that is a clay-court specialist, and win in two sets, I thought it was a very good performance. I can just take positives from today.

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“Of course, the fact that I’m playing at home, in a way, because I spend a lot of time in Monte Carlo, I practise in this club over the course of 12 months, hard courts, clay courts, I know people who are doing the courts, friends with them – it really is a different and very special feeling. So I’m trying to enjoy it and see how far I can go.”

The Serbian star’s next opponent is Andreas Haider-Maurer, who upset resurgent Aussie Bernard Tomic 6-7(4),7-6(5), 7-5 in less than three hours. It was an impressive performance and could serve as a confidence booster when he crosses paths with the tournament’s top seed.

This marks the first time that Djokovic and Andreas will cross paths on the professional tour, and should make for a routine performance from the visibly peaking Djokovic. The world No. 1 on the ATP World Tour is in fantastic form and nearly unstoppable on the circuit this year. Either that sets us up for a lopsided win or an unheralded upset.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Straight Sets

Following a thrilling, albeit gruelling opening round match on the red clay, Grigor Dimitrov is through to the second round in Monte Carlo, where he will encounter Italy’s Fabio Fognini. This marks the third time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with the head-to-head series tied at 1-1.

Follow the match live here: Dimitrov vs Fognini Live Stream

In arguably the most entertaining match on Tuesday, Dimitrov needed three sets to get past Spanish adversary Fernando Verdasco to advance to the second round in Monte Carlo. He saved 15 of 17 break points to secure the 6-4,4-6,6-4 victory in two hours and 27 minutes.

“It’s never easy, especially in the first match, having an opponent like that,“ said Dimitrov. “Verdasco is known for his strength, especially on a clay court. I’m really happy with the win because it shows that I’ve done something right in the days coming into the tournament.“

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His opponent, Fabio Fognini had a much easier route to the second round in Monte Carlo, as he defeated Jerzy Janowicz in straight sets 6-3,6-1. He struck five aces, won 75% of his first service points and saved four break points en route to the 57 min win.

This is just the third time that Dimitrov and Fognini will meet on the professional tour, with the series tied at 1-1. The Italian is more comfortable on the clay courts but it is difficult to predict whether he will be able to put away the young Bulgarian. Both their previous meetings on the tour took place on hard courts back in 2013. Fognini won the first match in Sydney, while Grigor avenged the loss later in the season at the Paris Masters, which he won in three sets. The unknown variable in this match is the clay court surface — he who performs better on it tomorrow shall be proclaimed the victor.

Prediction: Grigor Dimitrov in Three Sets

After opting to rest during the Miami Open following a strong week at Indian Wells, world No. 2 Roger Federer will look to begin his clay court season with a win over Jeremy Chardy. Federer leads the head-to-head series 2-1 but also lost their only clay court encounter last year at the Rome Masters event, one of the two tournaments that Federer has not won.

Follow the match live here: Federer v Chardy Live Stream

The Swiss No. 1 finished runner-up at this season’s Indian Wells Masters event and then decided to skip Miami to rest and spend time with his family. He will now move on to the Monte Carlo Open, where he is a four-time finalist but has never won the title. It is just one of two events on the ATP World Tour that he has not won, the other being Rome.

“I’m feeling good about my game and my fitness,” he added. “It’s been good to work on that for the last few weeks. I came here early on Thursday to practise on Centre Court, which is something I haven’t always had the chance to do. Clearly I feel I’ve done all the right things to prepare for the clay court season now.”

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He will now come up against France’s Jeremy Chardy, who defeated Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman in straight sets 7-5, 6-2 to advance to the second round of the tournament. He struck 6 aces, won 65% of his first service points and saved three break points to close out the match in one hour and 14 minutes.

The two competitors have met on three separate occasions on the professional tour, with Federer leading the head-to-head series 2-1. The Swiss star won their hard court meetings, while Chardy toppled the Grand Slam great at last year’s Rome Masters event. Federer himself admits he is better prepared for the clay court season this time around and will look to prove that is the case on Wednesday.

Prediction: Roger Federer in Straight Sets

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Following an absolutely fantastic month on the ATP World Tour, where he won the Indian Wells – Miami Open double for the second consecutive year, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic has arrived in Monte Carlo, where he will begin his campaign in his first ever match on clay. In this opening match, he will encounter Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas for the second time on the professional tour. Their first meeting took place last month, and led to Djokovic taking a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head series.

Follow the match live here: Djokovic vs Ramos-Vinolas Live Stream

Riding a 13-match win streak ahead of the Monte Carlo Open, Djokovic arrives to play his ninth tournament at this particular venue. This is one of his better events, as he has reached the semi-final or better on the past six occasions and was the champion back in 2013. Given the momentum he has gathered over the past few months, this could be another impressive week for the world No. 1.

“The experience of playing at a high level for the last three or four years helped me to handle these particular situations better than I have done in 2010 and 2011,” he said. “I feel like I have matured physically.

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“I’m enjoying my time on the court, playing some of my best tennis. Next to 2011, this is definitely the best start I’ve ever had… It’s [been] four months, and [there’s] still a lot of time to come.”

Albert Ramos-Vinolas reached the second round of the Monte Carlo Open with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Robin Haase. He won 81% of his first service points and saved the only break point he faced during the entire encounter. The match lasted exactly one hour.

This marks the second time that Djokovic and Ramos-Vinolas will cross paths on the professional tour. The Serbian star will undoubtedly have a noticeable advantage against his Spanish counterpart, and will look to implement it immediately en route to another straightforward victory. Given that Djokovic already holds a win over Albert this season, it is unlikely that he will be stopped from a second one.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Straight Sets

Marin Cilic will look to continue his gradual comeback from injury when he begins his clay court campaign in Monte Carlo against Germany’s Florian Mayer. This is the fourth time that the two competitors will meet on the ATP World Tour, with Mayer leading the series 2-1. However, the last time they crossed paths was back in 2011.

Follow the match live here: Cilic vs Mayer Live Stream

Following a long layoff due to a right shoulder injury, reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic began his 2015 season this week in Indian Wells, where suffered a premature exit in his opening match in the desert. While the world No. 10 lost to Juan Monaco in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, he was pleased with his performance, as he didn’t have high expectations for his first match back on tour.

It was a difficult road to his return at Indian Wells, and Cilic was not afraid to admit it. He even had some lingering pain in his shoulder, which is why he was unable to serve well.

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“I wasn’t expecting that I’m going to be playing great tennis, which is always difficult in the first couple of matches,” he said. “Some players do feel great from the beginning, but I’m the kind of player that needs a few matches to get into it.”

He will begin his campaign against Florian Mayer, who reached the second round of the tournament with a straight sets victory over Mikhail Youzhny, whom he beat 7-6(8), 6-4. He struck six aces, won 72% of his first service points and saved a break point to close out the match in one hour and 32 minutes.

This marks the fourth time that Cilic and Florian will cross paths on the professional tour, with Mayer leading the series 2-1. However, this is their first meeting in nearly four years and will certainly be a different encounter than any of their previous meetings. It is difficult to determine if Cilic will be able to snap his four-match losing streak this week in Monte Carlo.

Prediction: Florian Mayer in Three Sets