Roger Federer once offered a contrasting perspective to arch-rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic regarding the blue clay used at the 2012 Madrid Open.

That year, the traditional red claycourts at the ATP Masters 1000 event were dyed blue to provide better contrast and visibility for the ball. However, the change stirred controversy as players complained about the surface being too slippery and challenging to move on.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic aired his grievances with the blue clay after his shock straight-sets loss to Janko Tipsarevic in the quarterfinals, criticizing the unpredictable bounce and movement. The Serb even threatened to skip the Madrid Open in 2013 if the surface remained unchanged.

“I want to forget this week as soon as possible and move on to the real clay courts. Here you can’t predict the ball bounce or movement. They can do whatever they want, but I won’t be here next year if this clay stays,” Djokovic said.

Rafael Nadal, who suffered an unexpected upset to Fernando Verdasco in the third round, echoed Djokovic’s complaints, asserting that he too wouldn’t compete at the tournament if the blue clay persisted.

“Being able to move is very important for me and if I can’t move well, I can’t hit the ball well either. If things don’t change, this will be one less tournament on the calendar for me. This surface destabilizes the game. It is a completely different game and I don’t want to take risks,” he said.

Roger Federer, meanwhile, offered a different opinion to his arch-rivals, arguing that in order to be a good claycourt player, it was necessary to be adept at all different types of clay.

Although the Swiss conceded that the blue clay was slippery and admitted that the tournament had failed to strike the perfect balance with the surface, he emphasized that it was the players’ responsibility to adapt to the prevailing conditions.

“If you want to be a good claycourt player, you must be able to play everywhere. Madrid has taken a gamble with blue clay. It’s always a little different here because of the altitude and we must sit down with the other players to discuss it,” Federer said (via Foxsports).

“It is slippy, there’s no doubt about that but that has been the case here for a few years. They haven’t yet found the perfect balance. Our job each day is to adapt to the conditions that we face,” he added.

Roger Federer thrived on blue clay at the 2012 Madrid Open title amid Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s shock exits

Despite his arch-rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s shock early exits from the 2012 Madrid Open, Roger Federer thrived on blue clay at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

The Swiss defeated the likes of Milos Raonic, Richard Gasquet, and David Ferrer to reach the semifinals in Madrid. He then claimed a commanding 6-2, 6-3 win over Janko Tipsarevic to set the stage for a blockbuster title clash against Tomas Berdych.

Federer edged past Berdych 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the final to clinch his third Madrid Open title and his 20th Masters 1000 title overall.

The 2012 edition of the Madrid Open marked the sole edition to feature blue clay courts, with the tournament reverting to traditional red clay in 2013.