Last week Roger Federer took over as World Number 2 from Rafael Nadal after winning the Madrid Masters 1000 event. Fed's victory however will not be the main headline from the week as the event moved away from the traditional red clay and switched to blue, supposedly for better viewer and player enjoyment of the game. The blue clay was supposed to provide improvements for both players and viewers from home as visibility of marks from shots was to increase thus improving the ability to see line calls. The idea sounds great, however a number of players voiced their concerns over the surface and at the end of the week it had disgruntled more players than it had pleased.
Worryingly for the organisers, the most vocal of the players have been Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the two best players of the past 18 months. For me, when Nadal wins 8 Monte Carlo titles in a row, 7 Barcelona titles, 5 Rome titles and a stunning 6 Roland Garros titles all on clay and then complains about the clay surface at Madrid there is a problem. When the current Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion and 2011 Madrid champion complains about the surface there is a problem. These complaints are worrying for the future of the tournament. Perhaps more worrying is the fact that the decision was made without consulting with the players. It was made without giving the players a chance to test out the surface and give their opinions or even vote on whether they thought it was a necessary change or not. The biggest complaint was of the players not having free movement on the surface. The surface was too thin and gave little grip which was a major problem for players who rely on their movement to dominate their opponents.
The players who seemed to prosper on the blue were the big hitters and all round players such as Del Potro, Berdych, Federer and the players who seemed to falter were those who move well and rely on movement such as Nadal and Djokovic. Nadal had beaten Fernando Verdasco in all of their 13 meetings until last week where he lost in three sets having led 5-2 lead in the deciding set. Djokovic unusually lost to Janko Tipsarevic the day after Nadal lost and both players were heavily critical of the surface in their post match press conferences. The surface seemed to reward the players who were aggressive and had big serves and ground strokes. A perfect example is Tipsarevic against Djokovic. Tipsarevic isn't known as a big hitter but played aggressively and hit 30 winners in the two sets they played.
After his first round match where world number 116 Daniel Gimeno-Traver took a set off him, Djokovic said "I hit five balls throughout the whole match, Everything else I was just trying to put the ball in the court so I just rely on my serve and getting some points eventually from his unforced errors, For me that's not tennis. Either I come up with the football shoes or I invite Chuck Norris to advise me on how I should play on this court." That wasn't the end if his complaints as he went on to say he was not alone in his opinion as other players he had spoken to about it also expressed concerns and slammed the fact players were not being listened to "I know for certain that there are so many players that I talked to these last three or four days that share the same opinion. I take things very seriously regarding the surfaces and regarding our circuit. I think all the players' opinions have to be heard and have to be considered. This tournament and this decision to change to the blue clay is an example of players not being considered and heard and their opinions being ignored so I really hope that this is going to change in the future."
Nadal also expressed his concern over his movement due to the surface "I know what I am saying. I always like playing in Madrid and I try to do as well as possible and that is why I got here early. This surface is totally different to what we are used to. I don't want to risk injury to my hip, it hurts because I continually had to correct myself on court and I will not take risks with my health, so I would rather not come." Nadal echoed Djokovic's cry by saying movement was critical for him also not just on clay but on a tennis court in general and the blue clay didn't provide him with a chance to move well.
I agree with Rafa and Novak on this one. I think it was wrong to introduce the blue without the players having their say on it, not just the top players but all the players. The timing of the change has played havoc with the preparations for the French Open. The timing of Madrid has always been poor in my opinion. If Madrid is to be played on clay and in the Spring/Summer clay court swing then it has to be one of the first tournaments on clay. The altitude makes it so much different for the players and it's very different from the conditions of the French Open. Players get to play in Monte Carlo and Barcelona and Belgrade etc. in conditions similar to that of Paris and then have to go to Madrid and play in different conditions where they have to alter their game. Then players return to the normal conditions when they play in Rome a week before the French Open. It can throw players preparations at the wrong time. Players like Albert Ramos, who was having a great clay court season then lost in Madrid in his first match which could set him back. Nadal had built up a head of steam coming towards the French Open and then lost early which again may cause damage to his preparations. Djokovic will be looking to win the French Open to complete a career grand slam and last week may have dented his chances slightly.
Unfortunately for fans of the Madrid Masters 1000 fans and tennis fans around the world it looks like Nadal and Djokovic have left the organisers with an ultimatum, lose the blue or lose their participation. After losing to Verdasco, Nadal 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." Toni Nadal (Rafa's lifelong coach and uncle) gave no indication that he would advise Rafa otherwise, he even said he advised him not to play this year "I told Rafa not to play [Madrid] this year and I hope he doesn't play the next time." That was backed up by Novak after he crashed out to Tipsarevic. I found an interesting article which has part of an interview Djokovic done where he left no stone unturned in his attack on the surface and tournament "I really don't need to meet anybody. There is no discussion in my eyes, it's very simple. No blue clay for me. That's it. The test has failed. This is totally different in the middle of the red clay season. I'm coming here as a defending champion and I have a lot things which are important. If I cannot move and I put this pressure all the time on my muscles and the body and having it in my mind the worry of hopefully not getting injured and making some quick moves because the court is so unpredictable, then really, what's the sense in playing here? This is what it is for 2012, 2013 if they still blue and come up for fluorescent balls, whatever they come up with, they can have their own tournament, but I'm not coming for sure." Now the question is whether or not the tournament will have blue next year. Could they survive without the two best players in the world and two of the main attractions of the game at the moment?
I think this week we can expect Nadal and Djokovic to be at the business end of the Rome Masters 1000. Both players will be out to make a statement after last week's preceedings and prove their ability on the traditional clay. I think we can expect a very good display from both men as they look to get back on track for their preparations and I wouldn't want to be in the firing line of either player. I'd expect both to be in the final despite the talent on show. Federer will have a chance if he can bring his form into this week but I don't think he'll beat either Nadal or Djokovic on the traditional clay. Del Potro could have a big say this week. He's been brilliant on clay so far and a meeting with Djokovic in the quarter finals is on the cards and that would be a huge meeting. I would give Novak the edge though I think he'll beat Federer in the semi finals too, provided Isner doesn't score another win over the Swiss star. Andy Murray faces Nalbandian in the first round and that will certainly test the Scot. I don't see him making the semi finals as players such as Gasquet and a more testing David Ferrer are in his section. I'd expect Ferrer and Nadal to meet in the semi finals but Nadal will be tested along the way by Thomas Berdych but I don't see Nadal losing. A Nadal-Djokovic final is on the cards and I think it would be a fascinating encounter with the French Open just around the corner. Both men will play down the importance of the final but I think both will be looking to win and gain momentum ahead of Roland Garros, Nadal to prove he's conquered the mental barrier and Djokovic to regain his dominance. I'd give a slight nod to Nadal simply because of his clay court prowess and his form in Monte Carlo and Barcelona but it is a very close one to call. I'd certainly watch the action from Rome this week to see the response of players back on the red clay this week and to see how players are performing before the next Grand Slam.
No comments:
Post a Comment