Paula Vergara
May 7, 2012
Love it or hate it, the controversial blue-colored clay (or "la pista azul") has become the main attraction at the Mutua Madrid Open.
The combined men's and women's event in Madrid is the first ATP World Tour
or WTA tournament to use blue clay. Since 2009, the tournament has
operated on red clay, making it more aligned with the European
clay-court season. It also had served as great preparation for Roland Garros. So here's the burning question: Why buck tradition by ditching the red clay?
According to tournament owner Ion Tiriac, a former pro player and French Open
doubles champion, the rationale for switching from red to blue clay has
to do with better visibility. Quite simply, the blue clay makes it
easier for players and spectators to see the yellow ball on the court.
It will also improve television viewing — a major asset to the
tournament.
In fact, tournament
representatives say that the visibility of the yellow ball on a blue
surface will improve by at least 15% compared to the red clay, due to
the increased color contrast.
Without
question, the new color has a certain novelty and has attracted
significant attention. However, with a sport so steeped in tradition,
tennis players have been resistant to embrace the color change.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
in particular are not keen on calling the use of blue clay "progress,"
and have expressed concerns about why this decision was approved by the
ATP World Tour.
"I'm not really too happy
about it," defending champion Novak Djokovic said during last month's
Monte Carlo Rolex Masters. "But there is a certain rule within the ATP
that the president is able to make decisions by himself without having
players agree to. That rule has to be changed because it's not fair.
That's what happened last year. That is why Madrid has a blue clay."
This sentiment from the world No. 1 is reminiscent of the frustration that top-ranked players experienced during the 2011 U.S. Open, when they didn't have any say about when to play (or not play) during rain delays.
"I
understand that we all want to see a certain change and improvement in
our tennis world," Djokovic said. "But on the other hand, you need to
hear out what the players say, especially the top ones, because we need
to feel that our opinion matters. That was not the case this time."
Nadal,
the undisputed king of clay who is playing on home soil, believes that
using blue clay is a mistake, saying that it only benefits the
tournament owner, not the players.
Andy Murray,
who withdrew from the Madrid tournament because of a back injury, says
that he understands the reasons for the color change but feels that that
the timing is bad. With the French Open just a few short weeks away, he
believes that the tournament should be played on red clay. In other
words, it's not exactly the best time to be experimenting with court
surfaces.
Maria Sharapova,
who had a chance to practice on the blue clay a few days prior to the
start of the Madrid tournament, stopped short of saying she liked it.
"It's
a little bit different than the red clay," Sharapova said. "Some
bounces are a bit different. But I think it's about making an
adjustment. Obviously, the big tournament for us is Roland Garros, and
that's on the red clay."
So just how is this blue clay produced?
It
all starts with the original, red clay. Iron oxide is extracted from
the clay, producing a white clay, which is then treated with a
water-based blue dye for 24 hours prior to drying. The clay then goes
through a cooking process, where it is heated to a temperature between
900 to 950 degrees. The clay is then ground and sifted to an exact grain
size. Two layers of blue clay are placed on the court, with the first
layer being a much finer grain, which serves to set the base.
The
iron oxide is removed at the start of the process to produce a white
clay, simply because the original red clay cannot be directly dyed to
the desired blue color.
Though blue clay
courts probably won't be popping up at Roland Garros (or any other clay
court tournaments for that matter), the color blue is no stranger to the
ATP Tour.
Of the 37 tournaments played on hardcourts, 31 of them are blue. That's
84% of all hardcourt tournaments and 49% of all ATP World tour
tournaments. On the WTA side, the Family Circle Cup in Charleston is
played on green clay, which hasn't raised any eyebrows.
Once
the blue dust settles, players, fans, and officials will be able to
determine if this color change is good for the game, or a simply a
gimmick gone bad.
