Djokovic eyes revenge

The third-seeded Serb lost 6-3 2-6 6-1 to Nadal after a two-hour and 43-minute dogfight, putting the Spaniard on the back foot as he marched through the second set.

"I think I have played a very good match, actually one of the best I have played against him on this surface," Djokovic, who has lost his seven matches on clay against Nadal.

"It's really unfortunate that in certain moments I didn't play the way I was supposed to play, with a little bit more patience."

The pair could face each other at the French Open, where Nadal beat Djokovic in the 2007 and 2008 semi-finals on his way to the title.

"Even at Roland Garros I have played some close sets," Djokovic said. "So it certainly gives me a lot of confidence.

"Hopefully I can have another chance this season."

The turning point of Sunday's final was a 14-minute first game in the decider, when Nadal saved three break points. After that, Nadal was in no mood to hang around and raced to victory claiming five of the six remaining games as Djokovic ran out of steam.

The 21-year-old, however, was satisfied with his match.

"As I said yesterday night, I really believed that I could really get a close match and might win our encounter, because I have played a lot of good matches against him and I know the way he's playing," he said.

"I know that he has been very dominant on this surface. The strength and mental ability of course is his advantage on the clay courts. But, again, I needed to step it up. That's what I did. And it was a very impressive second set."