"Bring out clowns, elephants & have a circus" - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic opposing the idea of blue clay recalled by Eric Butorac

Former American tennis player Eric Butorac recently recalled about the time when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic opposed the idea of playing on blue clay. The ATP and WTA players only experienced playing on the blue clay once, at the 2012 Madrid Open.

Ion Tiriac, the former owner of the Madrid Open, introduced the blue clay in the 2012 tournament to create better contrast of the court with the ball. However, this decision was met with strong disapproval from the players, leading to the abandonment of the concept after that year.

During a recent episode of the 'Served with Andy Roddick' podcast, Eric Butorac opened about the moment when the "Big Three" - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic - rejected the idea of playing on blue clay.

Butorac mentioned that during an ATP Player Advisory Council meeting, Adam Helfant, the former executive chairman and president of ATP, sought players' opinions on the blue clay proposal. Butorac shared that he had expressed his support for playing on blue clay, citing that it played similarly to red clay and looked more appealing on television.

“Wanting to change Madrid to blue clay. So this proposal came to us, and he [Adam Helfant] said ‘I want to get a real quick straw poll, what do you guys think about blue clay?’ and he looks to his left and he goes, ‘Eric you go first.’ And this is like my opening speech to the player council right after six months. I stumbled through something about you know it looks better on TV and plays the same, so why don’t we try it?" Butorac said.

However, the American disclosed that all three members of the Big Three opposed the idea. Nadal argued that clay should always be red, Djokovic raised concerns about the slippery nature of blue clay, and Federer likened the courts to a circus setting fit for clowns and elephants.

"So he goes, ‘All right Eric says yes, that’s one.’ And then Rafa [Rafael Nadal] goes next. Rafa starts with, ‘All play should be red,’ and then goes on a Spanish tirade which he then finishes and Giorgio, the board rep looks at us all and goes, ‘Rafa votes no.’ Then he goes to Novak [Djokovic] and Novak goes, ‘It’s slippery and dangerous. I vote no.’ So it finally gets to Fed [Roger Federer] and Fed goes, ‘I think blue clay is a good idea and then we should bring out the clowns and the elephants and have a circus on the court,’" he added.

"And it went around no, no, no, no. And I finished the meeting and Sam Querrey comes over to me and he goes, ‘Dude I was going to vote yes, but by the time it got to me it was 8-1,” Eric Butorac said.

Roger Federer is the only male player to win a title on blue clay

Roger Federer [Source: Getty]

Roger Federer is the first and the only male player to win a singles title on blue clay, which he achieved at the 2012 Madrid Open. He was seeded third in the tournament and began his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye and defeated Milos Raonic 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) in the opening round.

In the third round, the former World No.1 then overcame 14th seed Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-2 and then triumphed over fifth seed David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4, and seventh seed Janko Tipsarevic 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

In the championship match, Roger Federer defeated sixth seed Tomas Berdych 3–6, 7–5, 7–5 to win the title . It was his third title in Madrid and his 20th ATP Masters title overall.

At the tournament, Novak Djokovic reached the quarterfinals before falling to compatriot Janko Tipsarevic 6-7(2), 3-6 and Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, only made it to the third round before losing to compatriot Fernando Verdasco 3-6, 6-3, 5-7.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams also became the first and only female player to win a singles title on blue clay at the 2012 Madrid Open. She defeated the likes of Elena Vesnina, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova, Lucie Hradecka, and Victoria Azarenka in the final to claim the title.