ROME - The Eternal City is once again set to welcome the great and the good of the tennis world in May, as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal look to extend their dominance at the Italian Open. The prestigious tournament is the last opportunity for players to fine-tune their games before the year’s second major at Roland Garros in Paris.

Prior to last year’s event, Rafael Nadal had won seven of the previous nine editions of the Italian Open but in 2014, Nadal’s perennial rival Novak Djokovic proved to be too strong, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final. However, the defeat at Rome’s Foro Italico seemed to galvanise the Spaniard, with Nadal going on to beat Djokovic in the French Open Final just three weeks later.

 The 2015 season has, thus far, had a similar feel to previous years with Djokovic dominating the early part of the campaign. The Serb looked imperious at the year’s first Grand Slam in Australia and hardly put a foot wrong in winning his second Monte-Carlo Masters title in late April.

 By contrast, the ‘King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal has looked out of sorts on his favourite surface so far this season. Between 2005 and 2012, fans were under the impression that Rafa only had to turn up in Monte-Carlo and his name would once again be etched on the trophy, however various injury setbacks combined with the form of Djokovic amongst others, have seen him struggle in recent editions of the tournament.

 Befitting of his nickname, Nadal holds an impressive record of having always won at least one clay court title before Roland Garros in late-May. After suffering a shock defeat against Italian Fabio Fognini in Barcelona, Nadal has but two tournaments left to preserve his streak.

“Once I win matches I will have my confidence back,” said Nadal in a recent interview. “I am training as much as I can with joy. I really want to do well. I want to play well. I want to train well. I want to give my best to try to have good rhythm in my game.”

 Despite his setbacks however, the Spaniard who originally hails from Mallorca, always seems to peak for the business end of the clay court season, at the end of May. With Djokovic missing Madrid to concentrate on preparations for Rome and Paris, the Italian Open could provide the only glimpse of the two rivals, before the Serb bids to become only the second person in a decade to dethrone Nadal at Roland Garros.

 Alongside the enduring rivalry of Nadal and Djokovic, Andy Murray and last year’s Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka have confirmed that they will also be competing in Rome. Murray recently got married to his long-term girlfriend Kim Sears and is fresh off his first ever clay-court victory at the Munich Open, whilst Wawrinka has experienced a quiet start to the season and will be looking to improve on last year’s third round exit in Rome.

 Wawrinka’s countryman, Roger Federer, is currently the only member of tennis’ glitterati who is yet to commit to playing in at the Italian Open. The capital has never been a happy hunting ground for the Swiss who has prioritised tournaments in Istanbul and Madrid in the lead up to Roland Garros. However Federer could decide to take up a late invitation to the tournament as he did in 2013, advancing to the final before losing to the aforementioned Nadal.

 The Italian Open kicks off arguably the most important two months in the tennis calendar, as following Roland Garros, many of the players head to Queen’s Club in London before Wimbledon begins in June. How to stop a rampant Novak Djokovic is likely to be a recurring theme for all the other title hopefuls but if the history books are anything to go by, Nadal, Federer and Murray will have a crucial role to play.