Madrid considering Blue Clay

Clay is a natural surface, changing the colour of a natural surface is an aberration. It would be a shame if all the great job and effort they put into this tournament ended up on this. I can't believe Santana supports this idea, there are better ways to make a tournament more notorious. They're attention seekers.
And what is its natural color? So far we have heard about green and red. I played on red and have never seen green. Are there other natural clay colors? And are you sure that those colors are not simply manufactured from yet another color, such as grey?
 
not a fan of the idea. Clay is red and that's the way it should stay. Tiriac should change sponsors instead. Ferrari F1 team is red and they've never had trouble finding sponsors with matching colours.
Wait a sec. I thought there was also green clay in use in the states.
 

T1000

Legend
Again and Again. people trying to justify why Nadal won the AO. If the AO is so slow, why didn´t any clay-courter make it to the semi or quarters? why did tsonga make it to the finals in 2008? Stop those posts please

Do you watch tennis or are you another nadal fanboy? Nadal won it. he's a claycourter. Verdasco got to the semis, he's a clay courter. JMDP got to the quarters. he's a clay courter. any other absurd claims you want to make while we're at it?
 

Nadal_Freak

Banned
Do you watch tennis or are you another nadal fanboy? Nadal won it. he's a claycourter. Verdasco got to the semis, he's a clay courter. JMDP got to the quarters. he's a clay courter. any other absurd claims you want to make while we're at it?
Verdasco and Del Potro are best suited to hardcourts.
 

OliverSimon

Hall of Fame
Blue clay
Ion Tiriac, owner of the Madrid Masters that as of 2009 is being played on clay, has proposed for next editions of the tournament to be disputed on a new blue clay surface, thus reflecting the main sponsor's color (the insurance company Mutua Madrileña). This controversial change is still pending for acceptance on the players' side. In the meanwhile, effective 2009, one of the outer courts has already been made of the new material for the players to test it. Manuel Santana, the Open's current director, has assured that aside from the color the court keeps the same properties as the traditional red ones.[2]
[edit]Players
 

Blinkism

Legend
http://tennis-atp.blogspot.com/2009/05/photo-blue-clay-tennis-court-at-magic.html
madridopenblucourt.jpg


Anyone hear anything recently about if Madrid is ever going to implement these blue clay courts?
 
1

15_ounce

Guest
Please just make sure the blue clay is dark blue... to help audience's eye focusing to the court and it looks easier and cooler for the eyes.

mutuamadrilena.jpg


mutuamadrilena2.jpg


edit: I didn't see the photo from above post while making this post... amazing.. the colour I chose is close to that photo!
 
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JimF

Rookie
Roland Garros is Brick

Clay is a natural surface, changing the colour of a natural surface is an aberration. It would be a shame if all the great job and effort they put into this tournament ended up on this. I can't believe Santana supports this idea, there are better ways to make a tournament more notorious. They're attention seekers.

You do realize the French Open is played on crushed brick.

That's about as natural as Velveeta spray-can cheese.
 

CzechM8

Rookie
They can do whatever they want with their tournament but I don't really dig it. Goes against my motto "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

We'll see how the better visibility argument that someone mentioned will hold up. Instead of picking up the "natural" clay colour the ball may just pick up the blue dirt...
 

Alexandros

Professional
They can do whatever they want with their tournament but I don't really dig it. Goes against my motto "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I hate that saying, it's the kind of thinking that stagnates innovation. I'm more for "if it's not perfect then improve it"; blue clay may help the visibility as I'm sure anyone who's tried to watch a live stream of a tennis match on red clay can attest that sometimes it's impossible to see the ball.
 

autumn_leaf

Hall of Fame
I hate that saying, it's the kind of thinking that stagnates innovation. I'm more for "if it's not perfect then improve it"; blue clay may help the visibility as I'm sure anyone who's tried to watch a live stream of a tennis match on red clay can attest that sometimes it's impossible to see the ball.

i hate watching with red clay. i can only see it now because everything is in hd. otherwise it's like watching those old tennis videos on youtube.
 

kevoT

Semi-Pro
I'm like the black sheep here... I think it's way easier to see the ball on a red or a green surface or the hard courts that are red and green (no matter how old it makes it look).
 

FlamEnemY

Hall of Fame
Honestly, I'm all for it. There are several reasons to try this out, and one of them of course is the visibility of the ball.

The second, well, it looks really cool. The deep blue color is easy on the eyes.
 

Kegzz

Rookie
I really like it. It's a nice blue colour and it makes a change from the same red clay we constantly see. I'm all for it. It looks awesome.
 
I like this, it looks cool and fresh.

Maybe another smaller tourniment can try a multicolor court set up, a different color for every court if thats not too expencive.
 

Lsmkenpo

Hall of Fame
I think its a good idea, hopefully they will also add some cheerleaders to do routines while Nadal adjusts his water bottles and his under garments in between serves to take it to the next level.
 

GS

Professional
At least blue clay is better-looking than the dumb half-grass, half-clay court they built for that 2007 Fed/Nadal exhibition.
 

Murrayfan31

Hall of Fame
I like this, it looks cool and fresh.

Maybe another smaller tourniment can try a multicolor court set up, a different color for every court if thats not too expencive.
Better yet a rainbow court. Or maybe a black court. The possibilities are endless in this freak show. lol
 

Bud

Bionic Poster
Another change in 2011 is Madrid will be after Monte Carlo and before Rome.

Rome and Madrid are swapping dates
 
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