Djokovic confident of winning maiden French Open crown

Paris: Novak Djokovic, the World No. 1 tennis player, has backed himself to win the 2012 French Open though he conceded clay court expert Rafael Nadal remained favourite to bag his seventh title at Roland Garros.

"My mindset is always positive and I always expect a lot from myself. I have had the best year and a half of my career. I believe that I am at the peak of my career at this moment," said Djokovic, who is on the threshold of winning four consecutive Grand Slam events.

"Winning four Grand Slam tournaments in a row would definitely mean the world to me from that perspective, but I haven't thought about that too much because I do not want to put too much pressure on myself," the 25-year-old Serbian player said.

Clay court expert Rafael Nadal, however, remained favourite to bag his seventh title at Roland Garros.

In his remarks posted on the French Open website, Djokovic noted that Nadal "is always favourite for this tournament... He's most successful tennis player ever to play on this surface."

"You can always expect him to be at the top, especially at the later stages of Grand Slams and other events," he said.

The Serbian had lost in straight sets against Nadal in Monte Carlo and Rome Masters earlier in the month.

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