( CNN ) -- With seven consecutive titles under his belt , there 's no denying Rafael Nadal 's title as the 'King of Monte Carlo . ' The world number No . 2 has won the Monte Carlo Masters every year since 2005 . But he better watch out because World No . 1 Novak Djokovic is gearing up to topple him . The Serb admitted he 'll have a battle on his hands beating the reigning champ , but said he felt confident on the clay following his win at the Miami Masters last month . `` We 've played already here finals in 2009 , good match , but Nadal is the ultimate challenge on clay . He 's the king of clay . He 's the best tennis player ever to play on this surface and one of the best tennis players ever , so that says enough . '' Djokovic said on Monday . But he added that he `` feels good '' about competing on clay for the first time since his defeat to Roger Federer in the semifinals at the Paris Open last year . `` It is the surface I grew up on . In Serbia , up to last couple of years , we only had red clay . I do feel comfortable , I like to slide , and clay allows me to slide . I had a great season on clay last year so I hope to continue this year , '' he said . Djokovic has reason to be confident . Nadal 's triumph last year in Monte Carlo came in his absence ( due to a knee injury ) and in the next two clay-court tournaments -- in Madrid and then Rome -- the Spaniard suffered straight-sets losses to the Serb in the final . `` Obviously , knowing in 2011 I won Rome and Madrid and winning against Rafa in finals back-to-back gives me a lot of confidence for coming into the clay-court season now , '' he said . However , in their long on-court rivalry , Nadal still leads 16-14 in career clashes with Djokovic , despite losing the last seven of their meetings . Djokovic is now aiming to become the first player to win back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Monte Carlo , saying he is well prepared for the transition from hard to clay courts . `` I know how to recover well , to be ready , and I 've been working hard in my off season and [ the week ] that I had off after Miami to prepare for clay because clay requires physically much more from a tennis player than other surfaces , '' he said . `` It 's a slower surface , your endurance needs to be on a high level . You need to by physically strong to expect long matches and long rallies . '' The world 's top-ranked tennis stars revealed last week they would also be going head-to-head in a special match for charity at Real Madrid 's Bernabeu Stadium on July 14 . World No . 1 Djokovic and his predecessor Nadal hope to draw 80,000 fans -- which would smash the previous record set by Belgian Kim Clijsters and fellow former world No . 1 American Serena Williams in Brussels . The Spanish football club 's pitch will be transformed into a tennis court , with the event taking place in the gap between Wimbledon and the London Olympics .
Seven-times Monte Carlo Masters champ Rafael Nadal will be the man to beat . World No.1 Djokovic admits he will have a challenge on hands , but is confident about form . Serbian Djokovic grew up playing on clay and feels good about chances against Nadal . TL;DR Novak Djokovic's win over Roger Federer in Paris was his first at Roland Garros since 2009.