Rafael Nadal has claimed that he wants to improve his own game rather than focus on keeping up with Novak Djokovic.

The Spaniard has lost his last seven matches against Djokovic but admits that he is not driven by his rivalry with the world number one.

"I don't want to improve to beat Novak, to beat Roger [Federer] or to beat nobody. I try my best every day to improve my level of tennis, to be a better player year by year," said Nadal.

"And if that's enough to beat Novak, fantastic. If not, I'm gonna keep working. When I wake up every morning and I go on court for practice, I don't think about Novak. I think about the things I need to keep improving, I think about myself.

"I don't have the spirit of revenge, I don't have the spirit of obsession with another player. My spirit is to try and be a better player every day for myself. That's my satisfaction."

Nadal's most recent meeting with Djokovic was the Australian Open final loss in January.