Rafael Nadal believes he is ready to win big titles after his loss to Roger Federer in the Miami Open final.

The Spaniard has reached three deciders in 2017 but lost on each occasion, including going down 6-3 6-4 to Federer on Sunday.

Nadal was also beaten by his Swiss rival in the Australian Open final, while he lost to Sam Querrey in Acapulco.

The 14-time grand-slam champion feels he is at a decent level ahead of playing on his favourite surface – clay.

"I think I am close to where I need to be," Nadal said.

"I am at a very high level of tennis and I believe I am ready to win these titles. I already played three finals this year and today I lost to a player that had lost only one match."

While Nadal is yet to clinch a title, he has an impressive 19-5 win-loss record this year.

The 30-year-old said he knew he would be a contender if he continued his form on clay.

"I'm playing enough well to fight for everything I think. I have good hopes that I going to be ready for Monte Carlo," Nadal said.

"Always when I am playing that well, on clay it helps a little bit more for me. I need to work hard to be ready for that. If I am ready for that, I think I am very excited about playing on clay again.

"I think about resting a little bit, having fun a little bit in Mallorca and I'll be happy to be back home after one and a half months. Then I will start working hard on clay. That's my goal now.

"My goal is to feel ready to play on clay again and I know if I have good preparation and have a healthy transition to the clay and find my rhythm on clay, I can be one of those candidates."