Andy Murray will head to next week's ATP Tour event in Barcelona with the belief he is ready to challenge the world's best on his least favoured surface.

Murray was beaten 6-2 7-6 in straight sets by Rafael Nadal in the semi-final of the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters.

However, he saw glimpses of the game he needs to produce to challenge on the red dirt.

"I've obviously learned a lot this week," he said.

"Then at the end of the match I started to play properly. I gave myself time to recover and dictated a lot of points. In the tie-break, I got a little bit unlucky.

"The way I played will give me a great indication of how I need to play in the future."

However, Murray concedes that Nadal, a four-time winner in Monte Carlo and Roland Garros, is the one to beat.

"I think he's the greatest clay court player ever," he added.

"To beat him you have to play great for three, five sets because he's so solid. If you give him one chance, he's one of the best, probably the best, at taking them.

"At the start I made too many mistakes. I was trying to hit too many winners from the wrong position."