Novak Djokovic commented that the red clay courts of the Italian Open “seems like parade” compared to the blue clay in Madrid.
Djokovic says that in Rome “you can actually be on the ball and slide well, where there you were slipping and falling down.”
And with the victory in Madrid he has claimed the Number 2 spot from Rafa.
A very productive afternoon for Roger Federer in Madrid. Not only is he #2 but he now holds the record for the number of Masters Titles, 20.
It was not all plain sailing for Federer, he had to work to get his hands on the rather unusual Mutua Madrid Open trophy.
It took a fightback from a set down to beat against Tomas Berdych 3-6, 7-5, 7-5. Is this the first step towards reclaiming the coveted World Number One spot and break Pete Sampras’ record?
Naturally Roger was very pleased with his afternoon’s work.
It is amazing to win here again,”
“It has been a tough tournament. Tough to move, but you’ve got to try to make the most of it. Here there was some good tennis and some bad tennis, but you see that in all tournaments.”
Berdych was understandably disappointed
“I would just say that it was a very close game,”
“You sometimes need to make those small adjustments to win a match like this, but it wasn’t my case today.“The week was great until the last day, right now I am really upset and I am sad because of how I finished it. I lost the final but in a couple of hours I am going to see it in a more positive way. I had a great week, I beat a lot of great guys and made it to the finals.”
Let’s see how Rafa responds and if Novak can build on his lead as Number One. It is going to be tense over the next month in Rome & Paris.
Novak was fuming yesterday in his press conference.
“I want to forget this week as soon as possible and move on to the real clay courts,”
“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.”
The courts were not his only target:
“I don’t blame the new president (Australian former player Brad Drewett),”
“He came to the job in January. It was the last president. He was going away and knew his contract was not renewed. He made the decision on his own.
“Something was going on behind closed doors. He (Helfant) didn’t care about tennis and what the players thought. He was only interested in himself and his interests.”
“The losers this week are the players and their opinions. They (ATP) made the decision without players agreeing on it. This is a rule that has to be changed immediately.
“The tournament has done its job and represented its own interests,” he said of the blue courts, which have proved to be successful for television viewing.
“I can’t blame the event for fighting for its own rights. The fault is from the people who gave them permission. We discussed this in 2011 – we were more than clear we didn’t want it. “
Roger had added his thoughts that are very different from Novak and Rafa.
“If you want to be a good claycourt player, you must be able to play everywhere,”
This of course is true. To be the best you should be able to adapt to a variety of surfaces. Is this where Rafa & Novak fall down with their argument? We saw with the Raonic v Federer that attacking, entertaining tennis can be played. The tour is currently too defensive so those at the top who have “less variety” in their game are going to be hardest hit.
But the tour is not only about Rafa & Novak, it is about 100+ players who have different styles & talent. The sooner the tour reflects this the better the game will be.
Uncle Toni has added his thoughts to the continuing debate about the blue clay of Madrid.
“The fact that the ATP gave permission for this tournament is an outrage,”
“One of the highlights of Rafa’s year is playing in Madrid and what has happened is that this event puts the Spanish players, who are more (traditional) clay players, at a disadvantage,” he added.
“So you say ‘I want to play in Madrid but not at the cost of my health nor at the cost of losing my feeling on the court’.”
Toni disclosed that after Rafa had first trained on the blue clay he advised him to pull out.
“If he had listened to me he wouldn’t have played this year,”
Tiriac & the ATP were the main targets with Toni adding:
“How much power must this guy have if they let him change the customs and habits of the players,”
“But the main culprit is the ATP,” “He can do what he wants at his own tournament, but the ATP should not have given him permission and I expect them to withhold it next year.”
The ATP have said that final decision regarding the colour of the clay for 2013 will be taken once all feedback from a variety of sources has been taken into consideration.
Clearly Rafa was upset in his press conference last night after his 3rd round defeat to Fernando Verdasco.
The court was once again the aim of his frustration and he has threatened to stay away next year.
“Being able to move is very important for me and if I can’t move well, I can’t hit the ball well either.
“If things don’t change, this will be one less tournament on the calendar for me.
“This surface destabilises the game. It is a completely different game and I don’t want to take risks.”
It will be very interesting to see what does happen in 2013. Will the players carry out threats to not attend?
At the 14th time of asking Fernando Verdasco has finally registered a win over compatriot Rafael Nadal.
Rafa was all over the shop and twice served for the match. To not close out with the chances he was presented is rather very worrying. But credit must go to Fernando, the court is fast and he played for winners and was rewarded. The joy was there for all to see at the end of the match. There was a prolonged lie on the clay, a big hug from Dad and a little cry into his towel at his chair.
The other all Spanish affair was a very closely fought battle with Almagro and Ferrer. Nico had MP’s to try and register his first win over Ferrer but unlike Verdasco he was not able to take advantage and it is David who will next play Federer.
Roger Federer have an easier time on court yesterday against Frenchman Gasquest. A straight sets victory was registered 6-3 6-2.
Novak had a few slips on his way to the Quarter Final against Wawrinka but steadied himself for a 7-6 6-4 win.
Janko Tipsarevic seems to like 3 set matches as he again went the distance against Simon last into the night. He finally booked his spot against fellow Serb Djokovic with a 7-6 5-7 6-1 win.
Other resuts:
Juan Martin Del Potro beat Marin Cilic 6-2 6-4
Alexandr Dolgopolov beat Jo Wilfried Tsonga 7-5 3-6 7-6
Tomas Berdych beat Gael Monfils 6-1 6-41
What a match last night between Milos Raonic & Roger Federer.
Much has been written regarding the blue clay of Madrid but I never thought it would have Federer serving and volleying so much. Regardless of the controversy it was a fantastic match to watch.
Milos showed that he is a great prospect for the future, give him another year and he will be up there, of that I have no doubt. He is still slightly rough around the edges but went toe to toe last night and really tested Roger. Watch Top 10, he is coming for you!
Rafa played his first match on the blue stuff and echoed the thoughts of Djokovic the day before.
‘The court is not one that makes you feel comfortable’
‘The court is a difficult court, it’s very slippery and it makes supporting movements and getting back to defend very tough.
‘But the only thing we can do now is turn the page and we are not going to get the red courts back tomorrow so we have to adapt to the blue courts and the conditions as well as possible and hope for a change next year.’
The battle of the big serves was won in two tie-break sets by Marin Cilic. Disappointed with Isner, he seems to be very stop & start right now. Hopefully he can pick up a few victories in Rome and not draw Rafa in Round 1 at Roland Garros again. Good to see Cilic finding a win after going walkabout for a while.
Have Argentina found a new star? Federico Delbonis gave Tipsarevic a good work-out, taking the number 7 Seed to 3 sets. Another young player to keep on the radar.
Full Results from Wednesday:
R Nadal defeats N Davydenko – 62 62
D Ferrer defeats R Stepanek – 76(4) 62
R Federer defeats M Raonic – 46 75 76(4)
F Verdasco defeats A Falla – 67(4) 64 64
J Del Potro defeats M Youzhny – 64 76(1)
N Almagro defeats M Granollers – 63 76(3)
M Cilic defeats J Isner – 76(4) 76(3)
J Tipsarevic defeats F Delbonis – 76(5) 67(6) 63
G Simon defeats G Garcia-Lopez – 64 63
J Tsonga defeats R Harrison – 62 76(4)
S Wawrinka defeats J Melzer – 61 64
G Monfils defeats I Andreev – 63 10
A Dolgopolov defeats A Seppi – 67(5) 76(5) 63
R Gasquet defeats V Troicki – 75 63
World number 4 Andy Murray has withdrawn from next weeks Madrid masters, citing a back injury as the cause.
The Brit looked to be finding his feet on the clay and was looking to repeat his 2008 success where he lifted the trophy. Although Murray will fail to defend points at the Mutua Madrid open, he must be fully fit for Roland Garros which is only three weeks away!
What is being humorously referred to as “smurf” clay is debuting at the Madrid Open this week amid a smattering of critiques from players. It will be the first time this tournament has featured the blue-colored clay instead of the more traditional red surface. While it has garnered moderate approval from
Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Maria Sharapova, it has been criticized by world champion Raphael Nadal. Nadal, the 2005 Madrid Open winner and 10 time Grand Slam champion, will no longer be donning the knee brace he has worn since the latest flareup of his recurring tendinitis. He is the local favorite to win the tournament.
Nadal, who is considered by many to be the world’s best clay player, thinks that the sudden switch to blue clay could adversely affect his training for the French Open, as well as the rest of clay court season. He had surprisingly harsh words on the subject, saying that the only person who would benefit from it was the tournament owner, billionaire and former Romanian ATP player Ion Tiriac. Other criticism came from top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who says that the court alters a player’s perception of how the ball will bounce.
Interestingly, though the court material was produced in the exact same way as the red court, at least one player, 23rd ranked Canadian player Milos Raonic, has cited increased slickness and decreased bounce. If this is true, it will factor in to an already changed game pace, accelerated by the thin air of Madrid’s elevated altitude.
The Madrid Open is the only tournament in in Europe that features both men and women. It is played inside the Caja Magica, one of the more astonishing pieces of architecture in sports. The corresponding City of Tennis is Madrid features three indoor/outdoor courts that can seat 20,000 spectators. While no one is quite sure what exactly triggered the push for a clay color change by owner Tiriac, organizers say the new color will allow viewers to better follow the ball. It is certainly a noteworthy addition to the clay court season, though spectators may miss the now customary sight of Raphael Nadal staining his apparel with red clay streaks.
The Madrid Masters have apparently gone through some drastic changes, as the traditional color of clay will not be present at the ATP 1000 event. Instead, the color will be a somewhat new and different: blue. I am deeply interested at the sight of these courts, and some players have already spoken their thoughts about the change at the Mutua Madrilena Open:
Rafael Nadal: “The history of the clay court season was on red, it wasn’t on blue. . .”
Novak Djokovic: “Sometimes change is good. I like innovative and creative people. But, on the other hand, it’s going to be the only blue clay-court tournament in the world, first time ever in history. To be honest with you. . . I never played on blue clay. Rafa didn’t. Roger didn’t. We’re going on there and we’re going to play for the first time ever. We don’t even know if it’s a natural blue clay because natural clay is a red clay. I’m not really too happy about it.”
Andy Murray: “For the players, it would be better for it to be on the red clay. But at the same time, I’ve watched sometimes in Madrid. It’s very difficult to see the ball. I understand the reasons for doing it.”
We have yet to know what Roger Federer thinks about this change, and I wonder if his opinion will be positive or negative, and whether, based on all of these opinions from top players, the tournament will change back to red clay in a matter of years…
This is what Roger Federer will be wearing at the Masters events in Rome and Madrid. These outfits are of course Nike and specifically Nike Smash Clay range.
Gisela Dulko married Fernando Gago yesterday in Buenos Aires. The pair met back in 2009 during the Madrid WTA tour event. Gago lives in Madrid as he plays football for Real Madrid.
There will be a big reception party tomorrow night in which 400 guests are invites to attend Tattersal, a very exclusive place in Palermo.
Congratulations for Gisela and Fernando!
Novak Djokovic went into the final of Madrid with an unbeaten record of 33-0 for the season. He was facing the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal for the title. And the fact that Nadal was playing on his home turf also gave him a bit of an advantage going into the match. Both players looking cool and calm from the first point started off the match with some lively points, but to the surprise of everyone it was Novak who was in control from the first point. He quickly ran ahead with a 4-0 lead, leaving Nadal no choice but to fight for each point and hope for the best. Eventually Nadal got his act together to make the score 5-4 to Djokovic. Both players then went for as much offense as possible to try and finish off the set but after some long points that left the crowd on the edge of their seat, Djokovic finally captured the first set with a score of 7-5. The second set was more consistent from both players, with both Djokovic and Nadal winning their serves comfortably until 4-4, when Djokovic got that crucial break and having a 15-40 lead on Nadal’s serve he finished it off when Nadal hit a shot out wide.
Djokovic then raised his arms in victory and went over to his box to get a big hug from his coach and close ones. He was as always, graceful and full of respect in his speech and received the new tournament trophy with a big smile on his face. As of now, Djokovic is 34-0 for the season and he has ended Nadal’s streak of 37-0 on the dirt.
Congratulations Novak!
Here is a great picture of Maria Kirilenko warming up in Madrid. Have to love the flexibility.
After Rafael Nadal’s victory over Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. at the Madrid Masters he was joined in the locker room by Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul. It doesnt seem like they were there to have a quiet word with Nadal, more like a press meeting.
Roger Federer has stunned Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-4 to win the Madrid Masters event yesterday. Rogers win against Rafael ended a five match, 18 month lising stream against the Spaniard. That run included three Grand Slam titles and ended Nadal’s 33 match winning streak on clay, which streaches back over a year to the Rome second round in 2008.
Federer heads into the French Open in a week’s time with a huge confidence boost after finally defeating the man who stripped him of his Wimbledon title last summer.
Nadal, who had won clay-court titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome this year, was visibly jaded from his semi-final the day before, when he needed over four hours to defeat Novak Djokovic. It was one match too many for the top seed, who was unable to squeeze motivation or power out of a weary body after complaining of problems with his knees in that marathon encounter.
“I think this (fast clay) favoured Roger,” said Nadal, who has won nine of 11 clay meetings against his rival.
“He deserved this victory more than I did. He played well. I wasn’t able to play aggressively enough.”
Nadal and Federer, who have contested the last three French Open finals, both head to Paris with the Spaniard hoping to regain his powers after playing and winning for three of the last four weeks on his favoured surface.
Federer won €585,000 ($1.05 million) and a car as he extracted some revenge in the pair’s first meeting since the Australian Open final five months ago which ended with him reduced to tears.
“I’m sorry to have beaten a Spaniard on your court, I’m sorry to spoil the party,” he told tournament director and former great Manolo Santana on the showcase court named in his honour.
The Spaniard’s defeat was only his fifth on clay over 155 matches dating back to 2005.
Raphael Nadal has had a lot to say at the Madrid Master and he has really been there more than 5 minutes. Nadal has been ripping the organisers of the Madrid Masters for several reasons.
Reasons include:
I really think Raphael is actually right about all those points. Madrid seems to be making a lot of changes this year and it doesnt seem like any of them is for the better.
Serena Williams is back in the headlines again and for the wrong reasons. Serena has just pulled out of her match in Madrid after losing the first set to Francesca Schiavone 6-4.
“I was just really hindered. My movement was hindered as a result of an injury I’ve been struggling with for some time,” Williams said.
Williams was refering to her leg injury that she suffered during the match. Williams would not comment on the extent of the injury or whether it would keep her out of the French Open, which begins May 24.
While at the same time Serena has been commenting about the WTA injury policy and how it needs to be reviewed. The American 10-times grand slam winner was asked why she played at last month’s Andalucia Tennis Championships when she had clearly not recovered from a thigh problem that hampered her in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open the previous week. “Unfortunately it doesn’t matter if you’re injured, if you’re dead or if you’re alive, if you don’t play they’re going to fine you heavily,” Williams said at a news conference ahead of this week’s Madrid Open. “So I have to play whether I am injured or not. That’s just how it is so I have no choice.”
To me it seems like Serena is talking a lot more in the press about the WTA and what regulations she isnt happy. I just wish she would stop talking out and get back to playing tennis and winning!
Ana Ivanovic withdrew from the Madrid Open because of a knee injury, but expects to be fit in time to defend her French Open title.
The seventh-ranked Serb is struggling with inflammation in her right knee. Doctors have ordered her not to play for a week.
Ivanovic said in a statement Friday that the knee has bothered her since a Fed Cup match last month. She said, “It’s become more painful with each match, so I decided to go and see a specialist in Munich.”
Ivanovic says there is “no danger” of her missing the French Open, which begins May 24.
The Associated Press has broken the news that Maria Sharapova has made the decision to postpone her return to the WTA tour after citing her continuing recorvery from shoulder injury. Maria has pulled out of the upcoming clay court tournaments in Rome and Madrid and it is now going to be interesting to see if plays the French Open.
