Novak has an advantage on hardcourts, which is the majority of the circuit. Since his dominant year in 2011 he has been 2-3 on clay against nadal, and convincingly beat nadal at wimbledon in 2011. He will also have the advantage in the fall season where nadal has been woeful.
2011 is gone, my friend. Heck, even 2012 is over as far as tennis is concerned. The present situation of the Nadal vs. Djokovic rivalry is considerably different compared to this time a year ago. This time last year, Nadal had lost 6 finals in a row to Djokovic on all 3 surfaces, including in 2 major finals. At the present time, Nadal is on a 3-match winning streak against Djokovic, having convincingly strengthened his position as the king of clay, back to his old dominant self.
I dont why you keep bringing up his record on clay against novak on clay in 2012, since the frame of reference is 2011 when djokovic became the best player in the world. Before that certainly nadal was better than the still maturing novak djokovic.
LOL. Djokovic has almost always been ahead of Nadal on hardcourts in their head-to-head, even before 2011. Before 2011, Nadal would always win both the closest, and the most important, matches, on all surfaces, while Djokovic's wins would always be on hardcourts in 2 straight sets. 2011 saw Djokovic change the dynamics of the rivalry, to the point where he was out-Nadalling Nadal on the tennis court. In 2012, though, it changed again.
I firmly believe that Nadal got rid of his demons during the 2012 Australian Open final, strangely enough, despite the loss. He looked content after the match, rather than unsettled. It was obviously bad to lose after leading 4-2 in the fifth set, but just getting into that position had restored Nadal's confidence that he could beat Djokovic in the future.
Djokovic's grandfather passing away may have had some hand in the result of the 2012 Monte Carlo final, but it was still an extra boost of confidence for Nadal when he won the title for the 8th year in a row. The 2012 Rome final was a close match, yet Nadal won it in straight sets, avenging the previous year's loss. And the 2012 French Open final, with so much at stake, saw Nadal triumph.
I base my assumptions on reasoning. It is highly unlikely that nadal will return to his best form on clay so soon, and he will need close to it to beat post 2011 djokovic.
We'll see. We need to see Nadal in action in 2013 to have a better idea on that.
Is it possible for nadal to come out and dominate on clay like he always does? Yes, but unlikely after such a long layoff. He is not going to be match tough or match sharp by the time the french rolls around to beat novak, as long as nole is in the draw.
The European clay period is more than 4 months away yet and the French Open is 6 months away. We've got many tournaments before then. Nadal will probably play the Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament, Doha, the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami before he gets on the clay.
Nadal has not forgotten to play tennis, but he will need time to gain those fine margins that allow him to win close matches.
Nadal hits with a load of topspin, so has a high margin for error. That's why he's so good, he can be powerful and aggressive, while at the same time, he has a high margin for error so that even on a bad playing day, he usually does well.
Djokovic has regained #1 since the time nadal left the game. Nadal in contrast has been fishing and cycling.
You tell me who has the better outlook. LOL.
It might have done Nadal good to have had many months away from tennis. If Nadal still has the physicality and the desire for success, the break will have done him brilliantly.
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