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Novak Djokovic has defeated Rafael Nadal twice this year to hold a 24-0 record in 2011. He now has to find a way to beat the No. 1 player in the world on Nadal's favorite surface.
Although Djokovic is 0-9 against Nadal on clay, he is relishing the challenge against the five-time French Open champion after beating him in back-to-back hard-court finals at the Sony Ericsson and BNP Paribas Open after falling a set behind each time.
"Important for me, mentally," Djokovic said Sunday. "I have this self-belief that I can win against him in finals, which I didn't do in the past couple of years.
"If I want to have a shot at No. 1, I will have to play consistently well in major tournaments because I know Roger and Rafa will do that if I don't."
The 23-year-old Serb is off to the best start to a year since Ivan Lendl swept his first 25 matches in 1986. He has won 59 of 65 sets and four tournament titles on three continents, including the Australian Open, to take the No. 2 ranking from Roger Federer -- the last player to beat him.
Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=6323655
