After losing to Rafael Nadal at the final of the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday, Roger Federer is plotting the downfall of his clay court nemesis in Rome later this week.

Federer has lost seven of his last eight clay court encounters with Nadal, and will need to reverse this trend sooner rather than later if he is to fulfil his dream of winning a career grand slam.

Like so many great players before him, Federer has swept aside all that have stood before him on lawn and hard court, only to have his aspirations to genuine world dominance thwarted by a clay court specialist.

Although Federer lost 7-5, 7-5 in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, he will have been encouraged by the fact that his opponent was made to fight all the way to claim his third consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title.

“I pushed Rafa and I feel I can beat him if I play the right way. I didn’t have that feeling last year,” Federer told the associated press.

Statistics predict that Federer is unlikely to prevail against Nadal at the 2008 Rome Masters. The world number one has only beaten Nadal six times in fifteen career meetings on all surfaces.