Blue Clay

[Ugadalou]

Tennis is spectator sport and the consensus between spectator is that the Blue is a change for the better. I think the players tent to forget about the fact that with no spectators - they have no sport.

I say they need to adjust, all of them! I like the Blue and want it to stay. Suck it!

Totally agree with you,it's all about the fans.Without them, there'd be no tour.
But what everyone seems to forget is that it's not just a matter of colour preference,the players don't seem to be able to adjust to the new surface.Everyone is slipping and most importantly they all have trouble setting their feet right.This results in ugly tennis as they tend to play more safe than usual and mishitting a lot of shots...
For me the quality of tennis is the worst masters so far this season.

My point if the top players boycott madrid say over 50% of top 20 because of the blue clay then they would change it back 2 get them in.

Actually I'm pretty sure that the players in the top 30 are obliged to play in every Grand Slam and Masters1000 tournament (except Monte Carlo),unless they have an injury that prevents them from participating.

Found it from 2010 but I think the same still aplies:

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Rankings/Rankings-FAQ.aspx

ATP World Tour Rules [section I. ATP Circuit Regulations, page 11]

C.Commitment Player
A 2010 ATP commitment player is any player positioned in the Top 30 in the South African Airways ATP 2009 Rankings (singles) as of November 16, 2009.

D. Commitment
The commitment for the commitment players is, the singles event of all ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments for which he is accepted, the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (if qualified as a direct acceptance or designated as the alternate) and four (4) ATP World Tour 500 tournaments, one (1) of which must be held following the US Open. For commitment and ranking purposes, the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 will be included in the minimum requirements for the 500 category. 2010 Davis Cup points may be counted as one (1) of four (4) in the ATP World Tour 500 category rankings, however, it shall not count towards the commitment requirement of a commitment player.

[emate007]

Wow, with nadal out I think delpo has a great shot at making the final.

[Corbon]

Nole stumbling to victory.

[Mike Rotchtickles]

and I guess that's why they call it the blues.....

poor Rafa.

[Moralspain]

This time i kinda disagree with Rafa and Nole here, they were against the idea of the blue clay before even testing the courts. Rafa's mentality was not the right one to compete in Madrid, now after this defeat he thinks the only cause is the blue clay when the reality is that Fer played better, it's that simple . Yeah the surface is more slippery, ok, but Verdasco was there too and he was able to adapt his game better than Rafa.

[Corbon]

When you lead 5-2 in the deciding set, you can't really blame your loss on anyone else.

[Otlichno]

Other than your opponent, if he starts hitting forehand winners like it's nothing.

[Corbon]

Serena and Masha are playing and no one's there. Siesta?

Also Delpo is through.

[Cro Morgan]

Rafa is a 25 year-old in a 30 year-old body. This early loss (and rest) will help him land another RG title.

[djarvik]

Verdasco

[djarvik]

Toni Nadal sees red over Madrid's blue clay
By Iain Rogers, Reuters
Posted at 05/11/2012 6:46 PM | Updated as of 05/11/2012 6:46 PM

MADRID - Rafa Nadal's uncle and coach Toni has added his voice to growing criticism of the Madrid Open's blue clay courts, and hit out at tournament owner Ion Tiriac and the men's tour organizers the ATP over the switch from the traditional red dirt.

World number two Nadal, who was knocked out in the third round by Spanish compatriot Fernando Verdasco on Thursday, and number one Novak Djokovic have complained the blue clay is too slippery and have threatened to boycott the Masters event next year unless the red surface is reinstated.

"The fact that the ATP gave permission for this tournament is an outrage," Toni Nadal told Spanish radio.

"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 said that once he and his nephew, who had been chasing a third consecutive claycourt title of the season, had arrived in the Spanish capital, and trained on the blue courts, he had advised him to pull out.

"If he had listened to me he wouldn't have played this year," he said, before criticizing Tiriac, a Romanian former player turned promoter who has masterminded the innovation.

Tiriac argues that the blue courts make it easier for television viewers to follow the yellow balls.

"How much power must this guy have if they let him change the customs and habits of the players," Toni Nadal said.

"But the main culprit is the ATP," he added.

"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 has said the blue courts are a one-year experiment and a decision will be taken on whether to keep them for 2013 once all feedback has been considered.

[VMoe86]

Tiriac, Santana admit to Madrid court problems

And Tipsarevic taking the first set against Djokovic.

[Corbon]

Didn't Tiriac claim like 1 week ago that the blue clay plays "just like" red clay, only that the colour is different?

[djarvik]

Madrid Masters boss defends controversial blue clay
AFPBy Scott Williams | AFP – 4 hours ago

Madrid Masters supremo Ion Tiriac on Friday promised a gradual improvement in traction on the new blue courts which have come under fire from players this week.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have led the criticism of the slippery surface and Romanian billionaire Tiriac admits that player complaints are valid.

However, he said no one is complaining about the blue colour which promises a revolution in clarity from the perspective of worldwide television audiences.

"The court is slippery and I apologise," said the former Davis Cup player, manager and impresario who has spent four decades in the game. "We wanted to make sure that we had no player injuries, no ankle problems.

"As a result, the court experts rolled the base with too much pressure. When the blue sand was put on top it was unable to meld with the base, creating the slippage."

But Tiriac said that after striking a maintenance deal with the city of Madrid, the blue courts will remain in place year-round at the Caja Magica and will eventually be as comfortable to play on as traditional red clay.

The tournament advisor spoke at an impromptu meeting of three former presidents of the ATP, American Mark Miles (1990-2005), South African Etienne de Villiers (2005-2008) and Adam Helfant of the US (2009-2012), all guests of the tournament.

Tiriac and Spanish tournament director Manolo Santana gave assurances that despite player protests -- and Nadal's vow never to play here again until the blue is gone -- the situation on court is improving almost on a daily basis.

Tiriac said that the ATP must now deal with any players who have objections, deciding if they must compete or face sanctions in 2013.

"It's a pity," he said of Nadal's threat, echoed by Djokovic. "I would be very sad if they did not play.

"The players are right when they say it is too slippery, We are working daily to fix that and things are getting better. There are still three days to go this week."

Santana, a respected former grand slam winner, added that his own reputation is on the line in his home country.

"We have experts here from Spain, Roland Garros and Monte Carlo," he said. "Of course I'm upset with what some players are saying, but we absolutely did not want any injuries."

Tiriac added that, while players have a right to criticise, with a week's total purse of up to $11 million they should also take some responsibility and get on with the job.

"That kind of money does not come from Mother Teresa," said the larger than-life impresario. "The players have to give back as well."




Major Tiriac!

[VMoe86]

Didn't Tiriac claim like 1 week ago that the blue clay plays "just like" red clay, only that the colour is different?

That's true, but they were laying the courts differently this year and that's why it plays differently. The colour is not the problem.