Thanks to Ion Tiriac, who, it would appear, will stop at nothing if it gets him publicity, we will be treated to the joys of blue clay next week at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Rafa has been out there practising.


This is what he said afterwards in an interview published in Marca. (Translation provided to vamosbrigade.com by malimeda)

"I practiced on it yesterday afternoon, but although I liked it and it looked great, my impression hasn’t changed, because it’s about the concept and the background of this tournament, not whether it looks nice or not.

"Madrid is for many reasons one of the best tournaments in the world and there’s no need to go beyond that by distinguishing itself with blue courts, it’s already different by its altitude. I believe it’s a mistake, not on the part of the organizers, because I understand their idea and I appreciate it, I also understand the promotion, but my disapproval is of the ATP, the ones that allow this to happen.

"The ATP should have never allowed a tournament as important as this to be played in the middle of 3 Masters 1000 on clay, already at an altitude and with courts like this and with this clay.

"I’m talking about what’s better for the tour and players, and that’s a better clay season with less problems. I’m being fair to the tournament, because it’s one of the best in the world, because Madrid has been improving year after year making an effort to be one of the best in the world, and it has achieved that.

"This court has 2 and a half problems. The main problem for me is the advertising behind the players is low and furthermore it consists of LED lamps that are the same colour as the court. So you tend to lose sight of the ball when your opponent hits it at that height; it’s a problem that I realised immediately. Something needs to be changed.

"Besides, the court is more slippery than usual, I don’t know whether it’s because it has less clay, because it’s hard underneath or it’s slippery due to the blue dye... I’m not an expert, but I’ve noticed that. At times the court gets soft, especially when serving, although that’s a less worrying problem, the first two certainly will be at the time you need to play long points."

(He considers the softness of the court as half of a problem, that "provokes bounces more irregular than usual". Source elmundo.es)

"Both the inconveniences and advantages are the same to all the players. For some the advantages are a bit bigger, players with a more powerful serve, or those who don’t have such a distinct footwork. Players such as Isner and Raonic, or else Federer, this is a court that suits them very well, it favours or rewards the serve more than usual.

"The problem is not with Tiriac, nor with Gerard [Tsobanian, Tournament's Excutive Director], nor with anybody who has proposed this, the problem is with the one who has allowed this from inside the ATP, the former President. I understand the idea, I realize the commercial effect, but it’s a completely different thing to allow that, it’s more the problem of the ATP than of the tournament.

"Nowadays I’m outside of the ATP politics and the Players’ Council. I dedicate myself to playing tennis, that’s something I usually do less badly. I’m happy about the way the things go and how my season goes. Furthermore I’m very motivated to play at Madrid, the most complicated tournament on clay. I need to adapt as best I can to the altitude and the court, in order to compete with certainty of success."

We will see which of these Smurfs Rafa most resembles next week.

¡Buena suerte, Rafa!