After Roger Federer had recorded his third win at the Madrid Masters in Spain last week and joined fellow record holder Rafael Nadal with 20 Masters titles, attention quickly focused to whether or not the experiment with the blue clay in Madrid was actually worth it.

From a pure viewing perspective the blue courts certainly ticked the box for me, the ball can be seen so much clearer on TV than when it’s played on the traditional red dirt, the blue court contrasts well with the yellow tennis ball and it certainly makes for a more enjoyable viewing experience.

I even enjoyed the pace of the court and I actually wish the tour had more variety in it’s surfaces throughout the year, watching a slow to medium court where players rally from the baseline for long periods can get a wee bit tedious at times, so the pace of the court in Madrid also ticked the box for me.

It was also a refreshing change to see attacking play and players being rewarded for their endeavours, mind you that may have had something to do with the third aspect I will now look at, the court surface.

The court surface at the Mutua Madrid Open was clearly responsible for the majority of the criticism that the tournament received, most players complained that the courts were far too slippery and did not allow for firm footing which ultimately could have led to accidents and injury.

The most vocal of more »

Will The King Of Clay Be Dethroned in 2012?

With the clay court season set to dominate both the ATP and WTA for the next two months it seems timely to start contemplating the many questions that the slippery red dirt surface may help us answer in the months of April and May. With all four Davis Cup quarterfinals currently being played on clay the surface will completely dominate mens tennis for the next two months, women’s tennis will also be inundated with the red dirt surface in April and May although this weeks opening clay court tournament on the WTA calendar in Charleston prefers the more envious colour of green for their clay courts.

The only tournament that will be played on anything but a clay court surface for the next two months will be the WTA tournament in Copenhagen, Denmark, the home of former women’s World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, the WTA e-Boks Open in Denmark will be the only respite and hiatus that players will get from applying their trade on clay courts for the next two months.
All other tennis will be played on the red dirt with one notable exception being the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid, the Mutua Madrid Open will be played in early May and will revolutionise the red surface and become the first clay court tournament to adopt the colour blue, it is well known amongst tennis fans that blue courts provide better viewing for fans inside the stadium and also those at home watching on television.

The steady diet of clay court tennis will have all dirt baller fans salivating at the more »

When Is the Right Time To Retire?

With the latest announcement that Ivan Ljubicic will retire at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters this year and Fernando Gonzalez recently announcing that he will hang up his racquet at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami this month, these two players pending retirements has focused the spotlight on another popular and well known figure in our game, none other than Andrew Stephen Roddick.

Andy or A-Rod, as he is more commonly referred to, has lacked the usual spark that we have come to expect from him this season and many are now questioning whether or not the drive, hunger and determination is still there to make his way back up the ATP rankings.
Roddick has seen his world ranking drop to No.31, his lowest ranking since July 2001 and he no longer appears to be enjoying himself the way he once did, this could well be because he has been carrying niggling injuries though or it also could also have something to do with the fact that Andy turns 30 in August of this year.
I believe that the game has now evolved past the era of Andy Roddick, while he does still possess his booming serve it has become even more apparent that the game is more about dictating play with big groundstrokes and punishing rallies nowadays, players are also now more adept on the return of serve which nullifies Roddick’s biggest asset.

There have been players in recent history though who would suggest that all is not lost just yet for A-Rod, Andre Agassi is the obvious one who springs to mind but Roddick is more »

2012 cometh

The annoying thing about tennis stars is that they probably keep to their New Year’s resolutions. More than that, I doubt they make any of the same sorts that we mere mortals do. Diets, new fitness regimes, I will bet any money that these sorts of resolutions do not pop up on tennis star’s lists. Apart from, maybe, ‘a new and improved’ diet, or ‘a brand new fitness regime with my new coach’.

Well that’s one that might be on Andy Murray’s list. As the dawn rises on 2012, Andy Murray announces the addition of Ivan Lendl to his coaching team. Yes, finally, Andy Murray has sat down and made the decision about who is going to be his coach. Ivan Lendl, the former world number 1 originally from the Czech Republic, has been hired to make Andy Murray the flavour of the year. Murray has been without a coach for a while, and so far it seems like he has made a good choice. Apparently, they share the same sense of humour. Probably something you need when you are/coach Andy Murray.

Too mean? Probably for my first blog, yes. Apologies, Andy. Good luck with the year ahead and it will indeed be interesting to see how the new coaching situation is handled. Murray has just won the Brisbane Open after all. So yes, this does look like a positive thing for Murray. It’s just that if I have to hear sports pundits call it ‘Murray’s year’ I am going to break new year’s resolution number 3.

Speaking of Australia, the draws have been announced for this year’s Open. Murray is seeded fourth, with more »

Wimbledon just days away

Yes that’s right, we’ve barely had time to catch our breath and already Wimbledon is bearing down on us. We’ve hardly had time to get over our sunburn from the French Open and soon we’ll be on the cool grass of the All England Tennis Club. For us Brits, this is the official start to our summer, and for the rest of the world it is the true start of the grass season and a great midway point in the tennis calendar. Standing at number 3 of the four grand slams, we start to see new faces emerge as those with grass court specialities come to the fore.

But what has been happening in this short rest between the two grand slams? In Eastbourne, the women’s players have been battling it out to prove their mettle in their warm up tournament before Wimbledon. One piece of exciting news is that both Serena and Venus Williams are back in the tournament, which is a particularly special moment for Serena after having a blood clot scare on her lungs during her injury absence.

Despite cries that their return will just place the rankings back into that usual Williams vs. Williams battle, I have faith that in the Williams sisters absence some amazing players have grown and blossomed. They definitely have more competition on their hands this year. Unfortunately, one player that won’t be able to give the Williams sisters a run for their money is Kim Clijsters. She has been ruled out of Wimbledon after injuring her foot, which is a real shame just before the start of one of the most exciting t more »