Rafa has a chance to progress to a phenomenal seventh straight Godo final (if you leave out the year he did not play)

Rafael Nadal will play Fernando Verdasco, who is hungry to regain a spot in the  upper echelon of the world rankings with a good result here in Barcelona.

Verdasco won this tournament two years ago (the year that Rafa did not play) but will have to find another gear against the Mallorcan – he has lost all twelve matches the two have previously played against each other, with the five setter at the Australian Open in 2009 coming to mind has the stand out highlight of those encounters.

Prediction, Rafa in two, to drop less than six games.

The match will start at 4pm local time provided the earlier matches do not overrun. That’s 2pm GMT.

Rafa to play a Serbian next – fortunately not Djokovic this time but the Serb Number 2, Janko Tipsarevic

Rafael Nadal will play Janko Tipsarevic, who has been in good form lately and has now reached a World ranking of number eight. A tough challenge for Rafa, who has beaten the Serb in the two only times they have met before.

Fresh from a stunning eighth Monte-Carlo title, Rafa heads to Barcelona to try and claim his seventh Godo

Rafael Nadal will play fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez his first match on Wednesday.

UPDATE – Rafa hammered Djokovic (6-3, 6-1) to claim his eighth Monte-Carlo title and finally see what it feels like to beat Nole again! Congratulations!

Nadal has won seven straight titles and 41 straight matches in Monte-Carlo, yet has lost seven straight finals (including two on clay) to Djokovic. Which streak will end on Sunday in the Masters series final?

Rafael Nadal still, despite those seven straight losses, leads Novak Djokovic by 16-14 in the head to head. But he desperately needs to change the tide and show that somehow he can still beat Nole – especially as it is on his favourite surface at his most successful event.

With 40 consecutive wins now under his belt at Monte-Carlo, Rafa has to win just two more to claim his eight title. Can he do it?

Rafael Nadal has played Gilles Simon five times, with a 4-1 winning record. Despite the lead in the head to head however, Simon is one of those players Rafa has always had to work hard to beat, and with the Frenchman in very solid form, it will be interesting to see how this first meeting ever on clay unwinds…

Below are a few links to free TV streams - nadalvsfederer.com does not host these streams and does not take responsibility for the legality of the linked sites.

UPDATE: Nadal won 7-5, 6-4

Rafael Nadal and Stanislas Wawrinka have played seven times before, with Rafa winning every time – in fact the Swiss compatriot of Federer has never won a set off Nadal before, so must now find it daunting to meet him on clay.

Below are a few links to free TV streams - nadalvsfederer.com does not host these streams and does not take responsibility for the legality of the linked sites.

UPDATE: Nadal won 7-1, 6-1

Rafael Nadal and Mikhail Kushkin met just once before – when Rafa won in Thailand two years ago.

Below are a few links to free TV streams - nadalvsfederer.com does not host these streams and does not take responsibility for the legality of the linked sites.

UPDATE: Nadal won 6-4, 6-3

Rafael Nadal and Jarkko Nieminen have played six times before, with Rafa winning every time. Still, with the Mallorcan fresh back from a knee injury, it will be interesting to see whether he can quickly find his rhythm on his favourite surface.

Monte-Carlo is the only “optional” Masters event, and once again Rodger Federer has chosen to sit it out.

Below are a few links to free TV streams - nadalvsfederer.com does not host these streams and does not take responsibility for the legality of the linked sites.

UPDATE: Rafael Nadal pulled out prior to the match, due to his knee injury, allowing Andy Murray to progress to the Miami final.

Below are a few links to free TV streams - nadalvsfederer.com does not host these streams and does not take responsibility for the legality of the linked sites.

UPDATE: Nadal will play Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the Sony Ericsson quarterfinals

Rafael Nadal has found Jo-Wilfred Tsonga to be a tough opponent in the past, and has lost to him three times from the nine times they have previously met. That includes two of their last three encounters.

Rafa is clearly suffering from a sore knee – he commented after yesterday’s match that it had been bothering him since before Indian Wells, but that it had got worse – and Tsonga is the worst possible player to come up again when you are a touch short of perfect health. Here’s hoping he can see it through this week and recover in the two weeks before Montecarlo.

Below are a few links to free TV streams - nadalvsfederer.com does not host these streams and does not take responsibility for the legality of the linked sites.