It's clay-court season. The sky is clear, the heat is intense and the dirt is red. These are the normal environment tennis followers often relish during this time of the year in the ATP tour. All until the calendar takes a twisty turn at the Madrid Masters.
After years of hosting epic battles on its iconic red dirt, organizers decided to deviate from the traditional norm when it introduced the blue clay last year.
Apparently, the idea did not get the approval from several tennis followers and even blasted by few elite players - including Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Despite offering something new in the clay-court season, Madrid's blue clay is believed to present a real danger to the players because of its slippery texture.
Nadal and Djokovic, who were both eliminated in the early rounds of the tournament, grilled organizers for implementing such a 'crazy' idea and even threatened not to compete again if it remains in its bluish form.
Facing the unconventional, Roger Federer has proven again that he's the greatest ever by showcasing a dominant performance on the harshly-maligned blue clay. The 17-time Grand Slam champion simply exhibited class and poise as he broke the barriers of pessimism in Madrid.
Now, after a long grind, that time of the year has arrived once again. The best players in the world gathered in Madrid for a shot at the top prize.
Nadal and Djokovic will test the blue clay for the second time while Federer tries to preserve his dominance on this specific kind of playing ground.
Then again, there are others who also like to prove their case in the tournament. Andy Murray, who's notorious for his struggles on clay, is all set to exorcise his demon. The dark horses in Juan Martin del Potro, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who are all capable of pulling off a strong run at the title.
For everything that surrounds the Madrid Masters, there's only one thing sure to happen this year - It will be super competitive.
The gladiators of tennis have descended and it's time to see who is the best of them all, on the blue court of Madrid.
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