Lisa-Marie Burrows

Dolgopolov talks about life, fun and football

May 8, 2012 by Lisa-Marie Burrows

By Lisa-Marie Burrows

Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid – After a busy day on court with a singles match win and a defeat in his doubles match with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, world No.20 Alexandr Dolgopolov was kind enough to have a chat with Tennis Grandstand about how he relishes the sport he lives, his lack of passion for football and his friendship with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga:
Congratulations on your win today, how did you find the conditions out on court?
I found the conditions pretty well. It is tough to move a bit and it is a bit more slippery. It’s tough to get a start and also when you slide it’s harder than normal clay to recover because there is a bit more clay and it grips you a bit more, but it’s a playable court and I’m fine with it and I think you can play a tournament on it!
You were using a lot of drop shots out on court today, particularly in your doubles match, is this something you have worked on with your trainer for this surface to mix it up a little?
My father taught me all the shots when I was younger and after I just learnt to use them, I try to get my best game with different shots.
You always look like you’re having fun out there on the tennis court and today during your doubles match you were laughing a lot with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, are you good friends? How is your relationship with him?
We have a good relationship, we always joke. He is close to me and he is a fun guy. He enjoys his tennis and enjoys being on the court; I think that there are guys who are too serious sometimes. I think that we fit together well in doubles and we’re for sure having fun out there.
Is it important for you to have fun in the matches?
Well that’s a bit of my personality, I always have fun in my life and I have managed to have fun in a game and concentrate to make my best tennis. I think that is good because I enjoy it and [tennis] is not hard work for me. I like to go on court and compete and that is the big thing for me.
Your game is constantly improving, what goals have you set for yourself over the next few months?
For sure the clay court is big for me and I try to do my best on that. I didn’t do well last year, I was a bit sick during these months so [this year] I have a good chance of getting some points and getting closer to the top ten. Pretty much that is the goal, of course the minimum is to stay where I am, top twenty and that is a good result but of course I want to get better and improve to top ten this year.
Are you going to be supporting your team in the Euro Cup?
If my team doesn’t win… I don’t care who wins it actually. I guess it’s good for Spain if they win it again but since the Ukraine doesn’t have the teams, they have got worse, so I’m not watching soccer too much. I’m a bit out of soccer, but I will watch some interesting matches…

Lisa-Marie Burrows is currently in Madrid covering the Mutua Madrid Open and will be at the Rome Masters next week. Catch her as a regular contributor for TennisBloggers.com and on Twitter: @TennisNewsViews.

Sharapova slides her way into the third round in Madrid

May 8, 2012 by Lisa-Marie Burrows

Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid – Maria Sharapova was the first to open up play at La Caja Mágica on Tuesday and ousted Klara Zakopalova in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 to progress comfortably into the third round.

Sharapova showed her prowess on the clay court today.

Throughout the match the Russian No.2 seed showed her all-court brilliance during their encounter and despite admitting in the press conference that she found the clay court ‘slippery’ she was not hesitant in sliding on the blue dirt and comically joked:

“It is slippery, yes it is. You just have to work on your balance a little bit more!”

Work is exactly what she made Zakopalova do having never fully recovered from an early service break and could not sustain momentum for long enough to make an impact. Her serve was her biggest downfall today as she let loose seven double faults. By contrast Sharapova found her range and speed on her serve today which put her in good stead to consistently line up a string of winners from both wings.
Sharapova was pleased with her performance today and called it a ‘high quality match’ despite the weather conditions threatening rain this morning and the roof was closed as a result:

“The good thing about indoors is you know pretty much what you are going to get. You don’t have to worry about the weather!”

In most press conferences the players have been asked about the blue clay court and today was no exception. Maria Sharapova agreed with Serena Williams on the colour of the clay not really being the issue:

“I don’t think it’s so much about the colour, it’s fine, it’s nice, it looks good. Playing-wise I feel that it does play a little bit different [due to] the amount of clay that’s on the court. The bounces were off, especially on the first couple of days of practice, but I feel that it has gotten better and settled in a little bit. At the end of the day it is the same for everybody. Your opponents are still playing on the same stuff.”

Aside from the issue with the change of colour in Madrid, the scheduling has also come under heavy criticism as a lot of WTA matches have not been televised and the matches in the Manolo Santana Stadium have featured the women opening up the day’s play and closing it in the evening, resulting in very few spectators watching their matches:

“The scheduling is a little bit tough here this week. The women usually play the first two matches and then play the last match at night. There is not a lot of switching. It’s strange for us, but it is the way it is. I’ve never played a match at 10:50 – that’s a first for me. Maybe soon we will be playing at 8am! The power of television.”

Lisa-Marie Burrows is currently in Madrid covering the Mutua Madrid Open and will be at the Rome Masters next week. Catch her as a regular contributor for TennisBloggers.com and on Twitter: @TennisNewsViews.

Does the clay in Madrid give everyone the blues?

May 7, 2012 by Lisa-Marie Burrows

Madrid, Spain – There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the change of colour of the clay in Madrid this year. Many of the players have not shied away from sharing their thoughts about the tierra azul and the difficulties they face adjusting to the change of colour on the dirt. Many people have joked about it being the land of the Smurfs or in Avatar, but at first sight the resplendent, bright blue clay does not look that dissimilar to a hard court – until the players slide over it and tiny grains of white appear at the surface.

It is certainly a new image for the Mutua Madrid Open and after many meetings and negotiations with those in charge of the ATP and WTA it was their seal of approval that led to the change from red and the Caja Mágica is the first tournament that has broken the mould with this new image. The question is, how many other tournaments will follow suit?

Who helped to decide on whether to change the clay?

Ion Tiriac is the Mutua Madrid Open consultant and the mastermind behind the evolution of the tournament. He based his decision on how he feels it benefits the spectator, and people who watch the sport on television as the yellow colour of the ball has an extraordinary contrast against a blue background making it more visible on screen.

What do the players think?

Spaniard Rafael Nadal said earlier in the week that he was unhappy with the decision as he feels this is one of the most important tournaments after the four Grand Slam events. Nadal claims it makes visibility worse and the courts are more slippery.

He commented that as Madrid is at an altitude of 800 meters over sea level, that already affects the flight of the ball, which is faster than at sea level and said it benefits hard hitting servers such as Federer, Isner and Raonic.

16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer agreed that the surface was a challenge to the players.

“It feels a little different than regular clay. I’m not sure if it’s just visually or something else.’

Djokovic shared the same sentiment in his press conference on Monday.

“My opinion is that it’s different; there are certain differences in comparing the blue clay to the red clay. I just hope for the sake of all the players that we will not have injuries and that we can have a decent week of tennis.”

Serena Williams was upbeat in her press conference about the change in surface colour and was actually quite pleased that it was no longer red:

“I don’t think it has changed that much. I don’t mind it. It makes you less dirty than the red clay!”

Despite the disgruntled complaints of some players, both the WTA and ATP have given their consent to that the Mutua Madrid Open and the surface will be trialed for a year whether the players are happy to play on it or not.

How is the blue clay produced?

Selected bricks are grinded down before sifting the contents to a size of 1 to 1.5mm and prepared in exactly the same way as traditional red clay courts, the difference being that the mixed white clay is treated with dye for a period of 24 hours before going through a drying process. The first layer of clay is stained in order to avoid white patches appearing when the players slide on the surface.

With the contrast in colour between the ball and the blue court in mind, has it benefitted the spectators?
I have sat court side and observed both the main courts and training courts firsthand. I found as a spectator of the matches that it did improve the visual impact of the ball as the contrasting colours make it more clear to see on the court.
When the clay is fresh and unused, you would be forgiven for confusing it with a hard court, at least until the little bits of white grain pop up where the players have slid across the court.
During the day, I had scouted spectators for their opinions on the blue clay to see if they found it helped them to see the ball better and improve their overall experience at the Mutua Madrid Open. The responses were mixed:
Rocio from Sevilla is an usher on one of the doors and she told me:

“People say it is better because you can see the ball easier and I agree with them. I think it is much easier from the seats.”

Pablo from Madrid has attended the tournament regularly for the last few years and was concerned about the effect it has on the players:

“I prefer the red clay because of the players. If they don’t like it, I am worried that they will not want to return next year.”

Wherever you go in the grounds of the Mutua Madrid Open, people are talking about the clay and there are many spectators who have come this year especially to see it. One of the aims of the tournament was to change the surface colour and make it unique – a real talking point and whether people are talking about it positively or in a negative way, it has certainly achieved one of its goals.

Madrid Open defending champion Novak Djokovic voices his opinion

May 7, 2012 by Lisa-Marie Burrows

Defending champion Novak Djokovic attended the press conference in Madrid.

Madrid, Spain, May 7, 2012 – World No.1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic attended his first press conference today in front of a jam-packed audience all eager to speak with the man himself. Yesterday the Serbian star withdrew from a scheduled press conference after citing that he was not feeling very well but returned today feeling better and ready to answer some questions with brutal honesty.
When the Australian Open champion was questioned about his health in regards to yesterday, Djokovic simply replied:

“Good. Apologies for missing the press conference yesterday.”

The defending champion has not played a tournament since losing to Rafael Nadal in Monte-Carlo and he withdrew from his home country tournament in Serbia:

“I’ve had time since my last tournament in Monte Carlo to regroup and to prepare for what is coming up. I had to withdraw from my hometown tournament because of the circumstances I was in. I didn’t find that it was the right time for me to perform in another tournament and I wasn’t emotionally ready, so I got that extra week to rest, prepare and practice.”

After a fantastic 2011, all the weight of expectation has been heavily dumped on the shoulders of Djokovic and he has a busy couple of weeks coming up to defend both Masters 1000 titles in Madrid and in Rome.

“I try to take one tournament at a time. I had a very good 2011 and especially winning here and in Rome back to back, so there are certain expectations, but I have learnt how to deal with it. I just want to take play very slow, step by step and see how I go here.”

This week has also been surrounded by talk of the blue clay and how the players are adjusting to it.

“This tournament has done a great job in the last couple of years as they have invested a lot in this complex as it was an indoor event and 2009 I think was the first year we had the clay court event in Madrid. It’s definitely interesting for everybody to see what is going to happen this week.”

Novak Djokovic is no exception when it comes to players disliking the change of colour, but more importantly, the world No.1 dislikes how the change occurred without the blessing or consultation from any of the players and he did not shy away from expressing how he feels:

“My opinion is that it’s different; there are certain differences in comparing the blue clay to the red clay. The only thing that is a little disappointing from the players stand point is that this was decided without players agreement. I hadn’t tested the court and from what I know most of the top players have not tried blue clay and if you don’t have especially the top players testing the court and at least agreeing the change that should mean something. They should have a value in what they say, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. I’m not blaming the tournament because they are fighting for their own interest, I’m sure that the ATP should have done a better job in representing the players rights and protecting what they want and what they say. I just hope for the sake of all the players that we will not have injuries and that we can have a decent week of tennis.”

The mood lightened in the press conference when Djokovic discussed his up and coming charity match in July against Rafael Nadal at the San Bernabeu stadium in Madrid and laughed off any questions of it being difficult to play Rafa in Spain.

“No, look I don’t look at him in that way [as a rival], I never did. Yes we are rivals [on the court], but we respect each other and are good friends. I think this event is a good opportunity for the people to understand that tennis represents a sport of fair play, a giving attitude and obviously I’m very privileged to be part of this exhibition. I cannot imagine what it is going to look like if the stadium is full for our event! I’m always trying and always happy to help a good cause and the Real Madrid foundation and Rafa’s foundation are doing a good job in helping people in need.”