So Is Rafa Skipping Madrid? Or Not? Skip? No?

This here is the culprit - from his presser after the loss in Miami:

Q. 40 some unforced errors and the whole tournament was kind of iffy. Are you going to take a break?

RAFAEL NADAL: Two days, three days, yeah. I have to adapt to clay another time. I have to be 100% ready mentally, physically. The most important thing, playing well, so for Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, and Madrid maybe.

Times Online did a pretty good rubdown on why he would and what will happen if he misses it.

There is no doubt that the world No 1 will play in the two Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo — starting on Monday week — and Rome, in between which he will return to Barcelona, where he is a four-times champion and has lost once in 22 matches. It is the newly repositioned Mutua Madrileña Masters in the Spanish capital, staged for the first time on clay at the Caja Mágica — with three arenas, each of which fold into one — that is holding its breath as to Nadal’s participation.

Though he will not say so publicly, the 22-year-old is worried that a tournament staged at 650 metres above sea level does not offer the most suitable preparation for his fourth defence of the French Open, which begins in Paris six days later.

TennisTalk takes a dip in the speculation pool too:

It is not clear whether Nadal would actually miss Madrid, which ends six days before the start at Roland Garros. But there has been no shortage of unsolicited advice to the world No.1 to cut back on his events, especially after a listless defeat in Miami against Juan Del Potro.

As it stands, Nadal is signed on for four tournaments in five weeks before Paris. Of those run-up events, the 22-year-old is defending titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

I say skip Rome, but that's just me. In any case he needs to skip one of those events, and if I did not misunderstand, he cannot miss Madrid.