Rafael Nadal on Novak Djokovic: Serb has ‘lethal combination’ which makes him unstoppable

Rafael Nadal thinks Novak Djokovic’s dominant run in tennis is impossible to stop, insisting that there is much difference between the Serb and the rest of other competitors.

Nadal believes there is no stopping his career rival Djokovic this season after yet another masterful performance at the Miami Open for the world No. 1. The King of Clay knows it very well, having faced Djokovic in 47 occasions, most recently in Indian Wells, where Nole defeated Nadal in the semifinal round.

“There is much difference between him and the rest. It's impossible to stop him and you have to congratulate him,” Nadal told IB3 as reported by Tennis World USA. “When you are very good and you have nothing that stops you, like injuries, it becomes a lethal combination.”

Djokovic has won all the tournaments he joined this season and is poised to complete a calendar Grand Slam after winning four of the last five major tournaments including the Australian Open earlier this year.

His remarkable run in the past two years has separated him from other competitors and this season has become a testament of Djokovic’s greatness heading into the Monte Carlo Masters, where he defends his title against the likes of Nadal and a returning Roger Federer.

Meanwhile, Nadal has been in positive spirits going into his favourite court surface despite his, so far, winless campaign in 2016. The Mallorcan has won 47 of his 67 titles on clay, including nine Grand Slam wins at the French Open. However, against an in-form Djokovic and the struggle to play at a high level, Nadal’s chances of a successful run in the clay-season seems blurry.

"If the health is fine in a couple of days and nothing is there, I will be ready in a couple of days and I hope to be ready for the clay," Nadal said after withdrawing at the Miami Open, reports the India Times.