May is here, which means that the start of Roland Garros is less than a month away.  In an effort to gauge the likely favorites for the title in Paris, analysts and fans will be breaking down the action in the coming weeks, starting with the Madrid Masters.  It is the second of the three clay-court Masters events, and one that could prove pivotal for the usual suspects.

Ironically enough, Madrid could prove pivotal for a player who is not even contesting it, and that is Novak Djokovic.  The current world No. 1 has been on a tear in 2015.  He won the Australian Open and became the first player in history to win the year's first three Masters events.  As he has looked nearly untouchable, it was probably tempting to take a stab at going all the way in the Spanish capital.  But Djokovic has been hit-or-miss in Madrid, and he opted to skip this same event last season before eventually going on to reach the Roland Garros final.  With all of the tennis he has already logged this year and no points to defend at this tournament, he has made a wise decision to get a little extra rest before beginning his push towards his first Roland Garros title. 

Djokovic's decision to sit this week out opens things up considerably for the rest of the field, and it is imperative that others look to take advantage.  Arguably no one is keener to take advantage of Djokovic's absence than Rafael Nadal.  The Spaniard has struggled to find his game since the start of the season, and though there were signs that he was perhaps finally starting to tap into his best tennis in his semifinal match against Djokovic in Monte Carlo, his momentum was short-lived.  He followed that semifinal showing with an early exit the following week in Barcelona, losing to Fabio Fognini for the second time this year.  Naturally, some will point out that Nadal put up similar results at this stage in 2014 before going on to win in Paris yet again, but 2015 has a different feel.  His struggles have been consistent, he has openly admitted to feeling more nervous, and he has the pressure of defending his championship points here.  Suffice it to say, he needs a good run in Madrid, and with Djokovic absent, his odds for defending his title look a little better.

Of course, many players will be licking their chops to take a crack at denying another Madrid title to a sub-par Nadal, and Roger Federer and Andy Murray will be first in line.  These two men, who round out the Big Four, are taking a different approach to the clay season.  Instead of playing all three of the Masters events, Federer and Murray have opted to contest one of the smaller clay tournaments in lieu of a Masters.  The Scot, who missed Monte Carlo following his wedding, is in action this week at Munich, while Federer is headlining the field in Istanbul and will forgo the event in Rome.  It is a change up that could pay dividends for them come Paris.  Both recognize that the fields at these smaller events afford them a better chance at stringing together some matches and perhaps garnering a title on the dirt prior to Roland Garros.  Furthermore if they both perform well this week, it will set them up nicely for Madrid, which as the fastest of the three clay Masters, already heightens their odds for success. 

It should be interesting to see who can make the most of his time in Madrid. Maybe Nadal will once again start looking like the greatest clay-court player in history.  Federer could turn back the clock and show off some of his tremendous shot-making ability, or Murray may find the form that brought him so much success at the start of this season.  Then again, it could be someone else from the field, a Milos Raonic or a Tomas Berdych, who surprises all.  And just maybe it will be Djokovic, who a month from now will point back to his decision to skip this week as the reason that he was rested and ready to go all the way at Roland Garros.  The only guarantee is that there is still plenty of scintillating tennis to be played, and it starts next week in Madrid.