MONTE CARLO (AFP) -- Roger Federer will be out to blunt the torrid clay court pace of Rafael Nadal as the defending champion Spaniard aims to pick up where he left off a year ago as the Monte Carlo Masters begins on Sunday.

Nadal and Federer, losing finalist to the two-time Roland Garros champion from Mallorca in three clay finals in spring 2006, both have something to prove on the clay of the Monte Carlo country club.

Federer is keen to lift off after suffering a rare two consecutive losses, both at the hands of Argentine Guillermo Canas last month on U.S. hardcourts.

Nadal has been resting a foot injury which kept him out of Davis Cup last weekend as Spain lost to the Americans. The 20-year-old Spaniard is riding a 60-match win streak on clay and cannot be surprised if he finds the revitalized Federer in another final

The event is under a cloud after being tipped from a downgrade from Masters status in 2009 as the ATP attempts to streamline the men's circuit.

And outraged local officials at the European home of the sanctioning body took matters to hand this week by filing suit in Delaware in an attempt to prevent what many feel is an unwarranted slight at the historic event.

Nadal last played a Niami quarterfinal a fortnight ago, where he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic after beating the teenaged Serb in the Indian Wells final only two weeks earlier.

Djokovic as well as Canas could turn up as threats to the established order as the first major clay event of the pre-French Open sun begins.

Nadal has a huge load to bear, having lifted titles in 2006 at Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and Paris.

Federer lost to his Spanish rival in the finals at all save Barcelona which he did not play.

The steady Swiss has put in more methodical preparation this week in the principality, even foregoing the presence of legendary Australian trainer Tony Roche at Wimbledon this summer in order to get his mentor on board fore the clay campaign.

And world number one Federer is sure to have learned from his par of March losses.

For one thing, they gave him extra time to prepare for the red dirt.

The Swiss, honored this week by a stamp bearing his likeness holding up a Wimbledon trophy, went 92-5 last season with ten titles including three of the four Grand Slams.

His current focus is aiming to win the French, starting May 28.

"(The losses) definitely have taken away my confidence a little bit, but it has also given me more time. Maybe that is just as good a thing. "Monte Carlo gives you a good idea of how you are playing and what you still have to work on."

Nadal tuned up with an exhibition on his island home against his mentor, Carlos Moya. He was last beaten on clay by Russian Igor Andreev two years ago in Valencia.

"I'll try to have a good result and to play my best tennis and that's it," he told his personal website. "If I play my best tennis, I'm going to have a chance to have a good claycourt season."

After the first-round bye awarded to all seeds, top seed Federer plays one of a pair of qualifiers while number two Nadal faces either Juan Chela or Dutchman Martin Verkerk, a former Roland Garros finalist.

Following the lead of the French Open, organizers are starting a day earlier in hopes of drawing weekend crowds twice during the eight-day event.

Russian Nikolay Davydenko takes the third seeding ahead of Australian Open finalist Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, Spain's Tommy Robredo, Djokovic and number seven Croatian Ivan Ljubicic.

Britain's Andy Murray, due to reach a career-best top ten world ranking on Monday, is seeded eighth, opening against the winner of the tie between Marc Giquel and Florian Mayer.