While Rafael Nadal continues to thrive, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are just trying to get back in form.
The top-ranked Murray and the second-ranked Djokovic arrive for the Madrid Open looking to regain their confidence after lackluster starts to their seasons, hoping to find their best game in time for the French Open later this month.
Nadal has won two straight titles on clay, while Murray and Djokovic have struggled on the surface so far.
For defending Madrid Open champion Djokovic, the tournament in Spain will also give him a chance to test his game after parting ways with longtime coach Marian Vajda last week.
"When you start losing more matches, you start questioning your game, yourself, what you're doing wrong so you can rectify that and get better, turn the tables around," Djokovic said Sunday. "I've been very fortunate to experience the upwards direction of my career ever since I've started. This is now a different direction a little bit. In the last six months, I haven't had too many of great results. That's why, you know, I've felt like I needed some changes and I needed to approach things maybe a little bit differently."
"At the beginning of the clay season, it's always a bit trickier for me than the other surfaces just because the movement isn't as natural on this surface for me as it is on the hard courts and the grass courts," Murray said.