Rafael Nadal struggling for confidence after injury lay-off, reveals Carlos Moya

The clay court season is about to commence and its time to peek into the potential contenders.

Nadal is one of the slowest top-ranked players, and was docked a first serve for taking too much time during a match en route to his 10th French Open triumph a year ago.

World number one Rafael Nadal said on Sunday that the introduction of a shot clock could cause problems, especially after particularly gruelling points.

In September, Spain will take on France in the semi-finals of the Davis Cup.

The 31-year-old was pitted against the in-form Zverev, who was coming into the tournament following a run to the finals at the Miami Open. Nadal cruised to victory in both of his rubbers, including a straight-sets victory over World No 4 Alexander Zverev.

That need to build confidence through competition opposes Moya's thoughts on how Nadal should be managing his playing time at this stage of his career.

"I, as a player, was also like that. I would compare it with (Leo) Messi in Barcelona". There was small drought in 2015 and 2016 before he came back to win the French Open and the US Open in 2017.

But, unlike past year, Nadal sat out the ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami this season and seemingly does not have the same mentality he possessed in the early stages of his surge back to the top of the world rankings.

However, Djokovic is also hoping that a change to his coaching setup will inspire him back to top form.

"14 years later keeps winning Grand Slam titles and is No 1, obviously had to evolve", he added.

World number one Rafa Nadal, who returned to action from a leg injury in Spain's Davis Cup win against Germany last week, is chasing a record-extending 11th title at the claycourt tournament.

"He is doing well, but what he does not take well are the injuries, which hurt more than the defeats".