Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal is confident after his ninth win in the ATP Masters event in Montecarlo at the weekend and ahead of Barcelona' s 'Godo' tournament which begins on Monday.

Nadal won' t enter into action until later in the week but the 8 times winner on Barcelona' s clay is hoping he can use it to rebuild his confidence ahead of the Madrid Masters and the French Open in May.

The Spaniard has had a difficult couple of years as knee injuries and loss of form have seen the 29-year-old slip to fifth in the ATP World rankings

"It was important to win in Montecarlo," admitted Nadal, "when you have won it is easier to win again and when you lose, it is easier to keep losing, but nothing guarantees that, so I have won a title which gives me confidence."

"I played and competed well and I was able to do what I needed to, I took the right decisions and I was calm and tranquil in my game. That is good news and I am also pleased I was able to play that way on the first clay-court tournament of the European tour," explained the Spaniard.

Nadal said that he had suffered no physical problems. "I was fast, I had stamina and I was able to play the long points," he explained, adding that despite his first round exit in the Australian Open, he had "been playing well since the start of the year."

"Losing in Australia hurt me, because I felt I was prepared to have a good tournament, but now I hope to continue my form in Barcelona," he commented.