By Nick Georgandis

Andy Murray has decided if you can't beat 'em, praise 'em.

After watching Rafael Nadal devour Novak Djokovic and the rest of the field in winnings his eighth straight Monte Carlo title last week, Murray has acknowledged that there's simply no one better on clay than Rafa.

"I don't think anyone can question the fact that Nadal is the best ever on clay," Murray said recently. "You can never say 'never', but his eight in a row is a record that certainly will be hard to break."

While he has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world and is currently sitting at No. 4, clay has never been the friend of Murray, whose all-time record on the red stuff is 40-27 with zero titles.

Compare that .597 winning percentage to a .778 clip on hard courts and .803 on grass. Murray has faced Nadal four times in their careers on clay, and has lost all four matches, winning just one set in that time frame.

Including the tournament victory at Monte Carlo, Nadal improved to a staggering 236-18 (.929) on clay in his career with 33 titles.

(via ahramonline)