Madrid Open owner Ion Tiriac is known for pushing the limits when it comes to innovation in the sport and the tournament. He has experimented with the traditions of the tournament over the past years.
He first changed the tradition of having ball boys and ball girls at the Madrid Masters in 2004. Tiriac replaced the ball boys and girls with fashion models. The change didn't go down well but with many modifications, the models are still present in the tournament.
Tiriac again brought up a strange proposal in the Madrid Open 2012. He proposed to change the color of the clay to blue from that of the conventional red clay. Madrid Open had been played on the red clay since the 2009 edition. But Ion Tiriac decided to bring up some changes in the color of the clay. Once again, the changes brought up by Tiriac on the clay color didn't go down well with the players. Many players condemn the decision of changing the traditional red clay court and bringing in the new blue clay court in the Madrid Open.
The major difference between red clay court and blue clay court was that the later was more slippery than the former. Also, the ball bounce was more uneven on the blue clay. There was more clay on the blue-dirt than the red one. Players were certainly unhappy about the new clay. The participants of the Madrid Open 2012 did not look comfortable on the court.
Here's what some of the players said about the new blue color clay court at the Madrid Open-
“I haven’t heard a single player, not man or woman, saying they like blue clay, ” said the World no. 1, Novak Djokovic. “Next time I have to bring skates instead of shoes, it was so slippery. It took me at least a week to try to get used to this surface and somehow find a way to win matches and play a decent level of tennis. There is no discussion in my eyes, it’s very simple. No blue clay for me” added the Serb.
“After playing a match on blue clay court 6 I can say with full responsibility on my shoulders that it is the worst court on the ATP circuit” – Sergiy Stakhovsky
“Ha! Blue clay… It looks like something Smurfs would play on, ” joked Ivo Karlovic.
Maria Sharapova also condemned the new court. She said, “It’s not so much about the color, it does look good on television. But it plays a bit different, it’s about the amount of clay on the court and the way it bounces. It’s just a matter of adjusting. It’s also the same for everyone.”
“Hitting on the Smurf clay, the bounce is lower and the two courts I practiced on were a bit more slippery than usual,” said Milos Raonic.
While Serena Williams did not find any major difference between the red and blue clay. She said, “I haven’t noticed a difference between the blue and the red clay. I think it’s the same. It’s just you don’t get as dirty.” Serena Williams happened to be the winner of the Madrid Masters 2012.
It was the ‘King of Clay’, Rafael Nadal who criticized the blue clay the most. Rafael Nadal and coach Toni Nadal had condemned the decision to change the color of the court. The Spaniard even warned the management of Madrid Open that he would not come back if they didn't change it back to red clay in the following year. The Spaniard tweeted, “It’s a lack of respect for tradition and the history of this area, I hope one day not having to play on blue color grass.”
“I tried my best to prepare but I wasn’t good enough to adapt my game to this court,” the Spaniard said. “The only thing that I know is that if things continue like this I am very sad but next year will be one less tournament in my calendar.” said the 11-time Roland Garros champion. With the exit of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer cruised to win the title at Madrid Open 2012.
Thankfully, the condemnation of the blue court was an eye opener for the tournament organizers. Also, ATP banned the blue clay courts which forced the organizers to return to the red clay in the 2013 edition.
The Executive Chairman and President of the Madrid Masters announced in a statement that the blue courts will be discontinued from next year. He said, “After careful consideration, I have decided that blue clay courts will not be allowed next year. I very much believe in innovation and exploring ways to enhance our sport. While the blue clay may have offered better visibility on television, there were clearly issues with the quality of the courts in Madrid this year. Regardless of color, we must first ensure that courts are safe and fair for players.”
But Ion Tiriac was still confident about his idea of the blue clay court.
“We hope to have blue clay again. You could see the ball much better, the only problem was that players were sliding much, but they never complained about the color. TVs and players agreed with the fact that you could see the ball better. We hope to have blue clay again, everyone wants it, “ said Tiriac in a statement.
Only time will tell if the blue clay court would be used again at the Madrid Open and if it will be used, how much improvement would be made for the players to play comfortably on the court.
