MADRID — After an uncharacteristic skid last year, Rafael Nadal has regained his traction on the slippery clay that he had once dominated, adding intrigue to this week’s Madrid Open.Novak Djokovic, who has won the past three Grand Slam events, remains the favorite to win his first title at Roland Garros. But Nadal, a nine-time French Open champion who had his least successful clay season in more than a decade last year, has led the pack in the early part of the clay season, winning the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open.
Though he was hoisting the trophy for the ninth time at each event, the victories were nonetheless reaffirming.