Nadal looking for "stability" following Monte Carlo defeat

Rafael Nadal will be back in action this week at Barcelona following his surprise semifinal defeat at Monte Carlo, with the Spaniard saying he's looking for more stability in his game as he returns from injury.

Nadal said he "probably played one of the worst matches on clay in 14 years" as he fell in straight sets to talented Italian Fabio Fognini.

Though known for his spectacular comebacks from injury, especially on clay, the 11-time French Open champion says it is not as simple as he has sometimes made it look.

"Problem sometimes is we are used to be very, very solid all the time, and even coming back from injuries, winning and winning and winning, and things are not easy, no," he told press at Monte Carlo.

"And after one year and a half, without having the chance to play tournaments in a row and a lot of stuff happened, is more difficult to hold sometimes the level every single day when you don't have confidence in tournaments in a row, no, or matches in a row."

The No. 2 has been on and off the tour since retiring with a knee injury in the semifinals of the US Open. He withdrew from the Paris Masters with an abdominal injury before undergoing ankle surgery.

This season, more knee problems forced him to withdraw from the semifinal of Indian Wells, with Monte Carlo his first event since then.

While starting the tournament in intimidating form, Nadal indicates that he is still lacking some confidence and consistency following the frequent layoffs.

"Even if I have been very competitive all the tournaments that I have been playing, all these stops create some nonstability in terms of you know that you have this 60 or 70 percent of your level," he said. "Then some days you have that 90 or 100, but this 70, you have it always.

"That's why I have been able to win all the things that I won, especially on clay. And today seems like I had during the previous days, but is always more difficult when all these things are going on."

Nadal is the top seed and defending champion at Barcelona.