MONTE CARLO - 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.