Rafa Nadal believes he is close to hitting the form to end his 11-month title drought, no coincidence given his recent record at the Monte Carlo Masters.

The world No 3 bids for a record sixth consecutive win in Monte Carlo, happy with his performances so far this year after an injury-hit start.

A recurring knee injury forced Nadal to retire from his Australian Open quarterfinal against Andy Murray in January but he has since reached the semifinals of the Indian Wells and Miami Masters tournaments.

"I have played well in all the tournaments this year. I haven't won yet, but I was in contention all the time," Nadal said. "In Indian Wells, I was playing a very good tournament. I played a terrible match in the semifinal, but I played the rest of the matches at a very high level. And in Miami, too, I played well."

The Spaniard, a six-times grand slam winner, said his mindset this year was different to the second half of 2009.

"Last year, the last six months, if I didn't have bad results with semifinals, one final in Shanghai, quarter-finals in other tournaments... I felt I was not ready to win important tournaments," Nadal said of his injury-blighted season.

"But from the start of the year, I have felt ready."

Back on clay, Nadal senses a first tournament victory since his last in Rome in May 2009.

"I think it's always going to be a little bit more easier on clay for me," he said.