Djokovic says that in Rome “you can actually be on the ball and slide well, where there you were slipping and falling down.”

Related Articles

• ‘Smurf’ Blue Clay Court at the 2012 Madrid Open – May 5, 2012
• Blue Row Rolls On – May 13, 2012
• Drama In Madrid – May 11, 2012
• What Colour Clay Will Be Used at the Madrid Masters? – April 30, 2012
• Novak Djokovic Struggling in the Wind Again Berdych in Monte Carlo – April 21, 2012

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.

Related Articles

• Blue Row Rolls On – May 13, 2012
• Roger Federer Outfit for Madrid and Rome 2012 – April 2, 2012
• ATP World Tour Finals 2011: Line-Up – November 19, 2011
• ATP Tour 2010 Finals – Funny Questions – October 21, 2011
• French Open Day 2 Round Up – May 23, 2011

“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.

Related Articles

• Novak Djokovic: Red Clay Seems Like Paradise! – May 15, 2012
• Roger Reigns Again – May 14, 2012
• Drama In Madrid – May 11, 2012
• Roger Federer Outfit for Madrid and Rome 2012 – April 2, 2012
• Draws for Sony Ericsson Open 2012 – March 20, 2012

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.

Related Articles

• Novak Djokovic: Red Clay Seems Like Paradise! – May 15, 2012
• Roger Reigns Again – May 14, 2012
• Blue Row Rolls On – May 13, 2012
• Rafa Adios To Madrid Return – May 11, 2012
• Drama In Madrid – May 11, 2012

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?

Related Articles

• Drama In Madrid – May 11, 2012
• Novak Defeats the Raging Bull – May 10, 2011
• Rafael Nadal Does Some Press Photos with Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul in Madrid – May 14, 2010
• Roger Federer Ends Rafael Nadal’s Winning Streak in Madrid Masters Final – May 18, 2009
• Official French Open 2012 Draw Ceremony with Rafael Nadal and Li Na – May 25, 2012

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

Related Articles

• French Open Day 7 Round Up – May 29, 2011
• Novak Defeats the Raging Bull – May 10, 2011
• Rafael Nadal Wins Rome Clay Court Title Against Novak Djokovic – May 21, 2012
• Novak Djokovic: Red Clay Seems Like Paradise! – May 15, 2012
• Blue Row Rolls On – May 13, 2012

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

Related Articles

• Novak Djokovic: Red Clay Seems Like Paradise! – May 15, 2012
• Roger Reigns Again – May 14, 2012
• Blue Row Rolls On – May 13, 2012
• Toni Nadal Adds Fuel To Madrid Fire – May 13, 2012
• Rafa Adios To Madrid Return – May 11, 2012

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!

Related Articles

• Keepy-Uppy Competition Between Andy Murray, Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Fernando Verdasco – May 23, 2012
• Language Barrier In Tennis – May 17, 2012
• Birthday Boy Murray Progresses in Rome – May 16, 2012
• Novak Djokovic: Red Clay Seems Like Paradise! – May 15, 2012
• Roger Reigns Again – May 14, 2012

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.

Related Articles

• Novak Djokovic: Red Clay Seems Like Paradise! – May 15, 2012
• What Colour Clay Will Be Used at the Madrid Masters? – April 30, 2012
• Roger Federer Ends Rafael Nadal’s Winning Streak in Madrid Masters Final – May 18, 2009
• Roger Federer Outfit for Madrid and Rome 2012 – April 2, 2012
• Rafael Nadal Does Some Press Photos with Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul in Madrid – May 14, 2010

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…

Related Articles

• ‘Smurf’ Blue Clay Court at the 2012 Madrid Open – May 5, 2012
• Roger Federer Ends Rafael Nadal’s Winning Streak in Madrid Masters Final – May 18, 2009
• Novak Djokovic: Red Clay Seems Like Paradise! – May 15, 2012
• Roger Federer Outfit for Madrid and Rome 2012 – April 2, 2012
• Roger Federer Withdraws from Monte Carlo Masters Event – March 23, 2012