'I don't fear anyone' says Novak Djokovic as Rafael Nadal's coach backs Serb to make strong comeback

Novak Djokovic made it to the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters after a hard-fought 6-3,3-6,7-5 win over Gilles Simon and believes the manner of victory will help him mentally going into the rest of the tournament.

It was the world number two's first match on tour since the BNP Paribas Masters after he skipped the tournament in Miami with a minor injury. Djokovic has struggled for form this campaign and struggled to go past the quarter-finals in his last three tournaments following his win at the season opening Qatar Open.

The 12-time Grand Slam champion, however, has made it clear that he does not fear anyone and is confident about his chances of winning every match he plays. Djokovic believes he has earned the right to be 'optimistic' of winning every match owing to his dominance over the rest of the field in recent seasons.

"It's great to overcome the big challenge as it was presented to me today with this kind of win, even though I haven't played the way I wanted, at the level I can play. It is a win that I will take take as a great confidence boost. I'm sure that mentally it's going to help me," Djokovic said as quoted by Tennis World USA.

"I don't fear anyone. I'm optimistic about myself and my chances in every tournament. I've earned the right to be optimistic everywhere I go, because of the career and results that I've had. This doesn't change. I think it will never change. I will always want to win in every match that I play on, every tournament that I play on. With that kind of mindset I was able to get to the level where I am," the Serbian tennis star added.

Rafael Nadal's coach Carlos Moya has joined the bandwagon of former stars backing Djokovic to make a strong comeback after his recent slump. Djokovic recently revealed that tennis was not his main priority and Moya believes it is because of his recent dominance. He has made the finals of nine of the last 13 Grand Slam events in the last three and a half years winning six titles including completing a career Grand Slam when he won at Roland Garros last year.

"Djokovic lost confidence, intensity and he is not hungry anymore, especially after winning Roland Garros. These things can happen. Being at the top for a long time makes you weak," Moya was quoted as saying by Tennis World USA.

"Boris Becker's comments about the fact that he didn't practise much are important. Anyway, I don't believe that him or Murray will continue like this for a long time. I see them ready to compete for everything in a short time," the Spanish former world number one added.