'I am more ambitious than ever,' says fired up Rafael Nadal before Madrid Open

Rafael Nadal, the King of Clay, has looked nearly untouchable ahead of the 2017 French Open (May 22-June 11) with easy victories at the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open. The 14-time Grand Slam champion will now look to gather more momentum ahead of Roland Garross as he enters the Mutua Madrid Open, the lone Masters 1000 tournament on Spanish soil, which gets underway Sunday.

After missing most of 2016 with injury, the Spaniard has risen to No. 2 in the 2017 ATP Race to London standings despite three consecutive defeats against Roger Federer. Nadal was up two games in the fifth set of the 2017 Australian Open final before Federer made a remarkable comeback to beat his arch nemesis. Nadal was once again out-classed by Federer during the finals of the Miami Open. But those early season heartbreaks haven't derailed Nadal, who is primed to capture an unprecedented 10th French Open title next month.

Nadal, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, is currently in La Caja Magica for the Madrid Open , another clay-court tournament that he has dominated for years. "It's one of my favourite tournaments of the year because the local fans have shown unconditional support throughout my career, helping me overcome extremely delicate situations Madrid is a motivation for me. Hopefully you'll see the best version of Rafa, but nobody knows which Rafa will show up," the 30-year-old told Marca TV during a promotional event.

Rafael Nadal more ambitious than ever before

With victories at Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Nadal improved his career title count to 71, which includes 51 victories on clay, 16 on hard courts and four wins on grass. He is now sixth on the all-time list behind Jimmy Connors (109), Ivan Lendl (94), Roger Federer (91), John McEnroe (77) and Rod Laver (74). When asked to unveil the secret to his prolonged success, Nadal said it was his undying ambition to be the best.

"I think having a healthy ambition is positive. One must try to improve a certain aspect of his game every day at practice. Furthermore, an athlete must really be into his sport in order to persevere day in and day out. I believe I've managed to stay at the top of the game because I've never lost hope; I've always had passion to become a better player. My goal is to remain in the circuit for as long as I can," added the all-time great player.

Rafael Nadal began 2017 as the World No. 9 with a cloud of uncertainty hanging around his future. However, he has quickly dispelled those doubts, climbing to World No. 5 with a realistic chance to earn a Top-3 seeding at the French Open. Odds makers expect the Spaniard to capture his 10th Roland Garross title next month.