Spaniard Nicolas Almagro joins some of his fellow players in criticizing the blue clay at the Madrid Masters 1000, saying after his first-round win that he needed to focus hard in order to not fall down.
"I've always been very clear. The place of a [Masters] 1,000 is to prepare for Roland Garros ... you cannot do what was done," Almagro told reporters. "The courts are sliding a lot. It's a different, unique surface that isn’t used in any other tournament. It’s so close to Roland Garros that we prefer to play on red clay. The court is not in the best condition. You slip a lot and hopefully there will be no injuries. To [stay upright] on the court you need to make a real effort. But Ion Tiriac and Manolo Santana wanted have a blue court blue and there we have it. They, in favor of the show, wanted this court and we have to comply."