Nadal brushes off being labelled Madrid Open favourite

The so-called "King of Clay" won his 11th title at both the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, achieving an Open Era record streak of clay-court sets won at 46 and counting, reports Efe.

"It's true that I played at a good level in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, and that's why things went as they did," Nadal, world No. 1, said at a press conference ahead of starting his bid for a sixth Madrid Open title.

"I'm happy with the way things went. I was better than the other players in those tournaments, but this doesn't guarantee that I'll be better in this tournament," Nadal added.

"What I want is to be ready to be there. For me, it doesn't matter to be the favourite or not. I do not worry about this at all. I try to do things the best way possible and arrive at the tournament at the best level," he continued.

Nadal added that he considers this approach to be the key to his success throughout his career. IANS