Another week on the claycourt circuit, another title for Rafael Nadal.

The anointed “King of clay” improved to 15-0 on the dirt this year after Sunday claiming the Mutua Madrid Open title, defeating Dominic Thiem 7-6(8), 6-4 in the championship.

It was a fifth Madrid title for the 30-year-old Spaniard and a 30th career Masters 1000 title, tying Novak Djokovic for the all-time lead. His claycourt haul thus far this season includes …

Thirteen of the Top 15 players post this week in Rome for the Italian Open, where the Masters 1000 grind continues on the heels of the Madrid Open.

Rafael Nadal is back to his top claycourt form, while world No. 1 Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are trying to play catch-up.

Here’s a look at the 2017 Italian Open field:

Seeds: Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic, …

Winning two matches and then getting blown out by Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, Novak Djokovic still deemed his Madrid event a positive experience! Remember, Djokovic was down a break in the third to Nicolas Almagro in his first match, played a good match against a very favorable opponent in Feliciano Lopez and then earned a walkover against Kei Nishikori.

But Djokovic taking apart by Nadal ending his 7-match, 15-set win …

Despite winning just six games against rival Rafael Nadal yesterday in the Madrid semifinals, and not having made a final since Doha, Novak Djokovic says he won’t replace his recently fired coaching team for at least 3-4 more weeks, meaning after the French.

“I’m not going to share anything with you now,” Djokovic said Saturday after a 62, 64 loss to Nadal. “I hope you understand and respect that. I’m …

Rafael Nadal picked up, on paper at least, his best win of the 2017 season, crushing his rival Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals today at the Madrid Masters.

“I think I played a really good first set. The second set I was a little bit more nervous. I played a little bit shorter. I think then the match was more even. Finally I managed to win it. It’s a …

Defending champion Simona Halep will face surprise No. 14-seeded finalist Kristina Mladenovic of France in the final of the Mutua Madrid Open after both players advanced to the championship match in straight sets on Friday.

Halep handled unseeded Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 6-2, 6-3, while Mladenovic upended No. 8 seed and former French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 7-6(4).

“We know each other’s game really well,” Mladenovic said of her friend and …

Former No. 1s Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal set up a mouthwatering semifinal on Friday in Madrid when Nadal stared down David Goffin 7-6(3), 6-2, and Djokovic received a walkover from a wrist-hobbled Kei Nishikori.

“Goffin and I played at a really high level,” said Nadal, still undefeated this year on clay. “It was a very tough match that I had to play at my highest level to be able to …

While Andy Murray’s struggles continued today in Madrid losing meekly to lucky loser Borna Coric, his top clay rivals, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, both played some of their best tennis of this young European season.

Earlier in the day, Djokovic took the court and manhandled Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 7-5. With Lopez unable to hurt Djokovic off the ground, it was all Djokovic who improved to 9-1 against the Spaniard. And …

The run of Eugenie Bouchard came to an end today at the hands of Svetlana Kuznetsova. Bouchard breathed some life into a fledgling WTA by beating Maria Sharapova and then Angelique Kerber but today the Canadian wasn’t up to par against Kuznetsova in a 6-4, 6-0 loss.

“I kind of didn’t know exactly what to expect because I didn’t play Eugenie for a while,” said Kuznetsova who finished with 28 winners …

The year 2017 seems like the return of the clay-court specialist as unseeded dirt ballers continue to make their mark in the run-up to the French Open.

Top seeds Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori all struggled through three-set challenges over unseeded opponents on Wednesday in Madrid to move into the third round, while three Top 10-seeded players made their exits.

Djokovic, who fired almost his entire support team ahead …

Genie Bouchard cannot be stopped, at least this week in Madrid.

The former Top 10 Canadian has struggled this year, last month competing (and losing early) at ITF-level events. This week she took down former No. 1 Maria Sharapova in a dramatic second-round encounter, then on Wednesday rolled over ailing top seed Angelique Kerber 6-3, 5-0, retired.

Kerber retired trailing 0-5 in the second set after receiving treatment for a left thigh …

World No. 1 Andy Murray opened his Madrid campaign in strong fashion blowing out Romanian wildcard Marcus Copil 6-4, 6-3.

Murray, who reached the finals last year and won the title in 2015 (and in 2008 when it was on hard courts), is now 11-0 in the first round a the event. But there’s still work to be done after a dissapointing start to the year.

“I still think there’s a ways …

Simona Halep came from 5-2 down in the third set to deny Roberta Vinci 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(2) to advance to the third round at the Madrid Masters on Tuesday.

Halep, who won the Madrid title last year over Dominika Cibulkova, improved to 4-0 against the Italian on clay.

“Her game is not easy to play. Her slices are very difficult to return,” Halep, who trailed 5-2 in the final set, said. …

Rafael Nadal says he’s been trying to hit his second serve harder this year, and it’s paying off.

Speaking during his pre-tourney presser Monday in Madrid, Nadal said the goal was to get more pop on that shot, and so far so good.

“That was something we had in mind, maybe have a little bit more speed on the second serve. But we don’t have to be crazy about it or start …

During his pre-tournament presser in Madrid yesterday, Rafael Nadal revealed he’s been fighting an ear infection since Friday. Nadal isn’t overly concerned about the issue, which he says is improving, but it did force him to ask for a Wednesday start instead of playing today.

“Happened on Friday night. I wake up 3 in the morning with pain on the ear,” Nadal said. “I am still practicing. But today little bit …