• What the Deuce

Can anyone dethrone the King of Clay?

Rafael Nadal has lost just four matches on clay since 2005 © Getty Images

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At one stage on Saturday afternoon, it looked like Andy Murray would do the unthinkable.

Just a matter of days after breaking out of his three-month losing slump, Murray was facing the King of Clay on the red dirt, and what's more, he was outplaying him.

As Murray broke Rafael Nadal for a third time with a cheeky dropshot that the world No. 1 didn't even both chasing before taking the second set 6-1, it looked like Murray could end the Spaniard's six-year unbeaten streak in Monte Carlo.

Not since 2003, when Nadal was just 16 and ranked outside the world's top 100 had the Spaniard been beaten in Monte Carlo - but for a while it looked like Murray might just do it.

It was not to be, and Nadal went on to claim a seventh title with victory over David Ferrer in the final, but it was a far from vintage performance.

Murray must be wondering what might have been if he had not suffered an elbow problem in the build-up to the match. Murray has never beaten Nadal on clay (only three men - Federer, Robin Soderling and Juan Carlos Ferrero have since 2005) and yet at times he was the better player.

It was a very different scene 12 months ago. While Murray was booed off court after slumping to a lacklustre defeat to Philipp Kohlschreiber in his opening match, Nadal was in the form of his life.

Monte Carlo was the scene of Nadal's first title in nearly a year. After a steady showing in Indian Wells and Miami, Nadal blazed to a sixth title - leaving Fernando Verdasco - by no means a poor clay-court player - for dust with a 6-0 6-1 defeat in the final.

This year, it was not the same. Perhaps Nadal approached the clay season differently this year. After all, he is already the top dog; he has nothing to prove.

Andy Murray gave Nadal a run for his money on Monte Carlo © Getty Images

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Whereas last year he opted to miss the Barcelona Open to rest a troublesome knee problem, this year he intends to play. With Novak Djokovic breathing down his neck, Nadal needs to defend maximum points to avoid being leapfrogged for the No. 1 spot.

Though he has always insisted that he is not interested in being No. 1, the fact that he is playing in Barcelona, a risk he was not willing to take last year, suggests he is trying to get some more points to stave off Djokovic.

Nadal will be the first one to point out that he is not at his best - against Ferrer in Sunday's final he was wel below the peak of his powers, and yet, he needed just two sets to claim a seventh title at the Monte Carlo Country Club.

It must be a daunting prospect for Murray and all Nadal's rivals - that the Spaniard is virtually unbeatable, even when he is some way off hitting top form.

"It is good to be close to him but I want to try to play better than that," Murray said after his semi-final defeat. "I'll need to if I want to beat him because he is going to improve the next few weeks for sure, the more he plays on clay."

It remains to be seen if Murray is closing the gap, but what is more likely is that the Spaniard is yet to hit top gear.

When he is at his best, Nadal could probably give most players on the tour a run for their money with his right hand - he is, after all, naturally right handed. The question remains - can anyone beat the King of Clay?

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