Mystery of Madrid’s Blue Clay Tennis Courts

By ⋅ May 10, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment
Madrid Open (Photo: Madrid Open/Facebook)

Madrid Open (Photo: Madrid Open/Facebook)

The Madrid Open tennis tournament is underway.

It’s taking place in a relatively new sports facility but what’s really spectacular about it is the court.

It’s blue.

Canadian player, Milos Raonic, calls it “smurf blue”.

Photographers like Kike Del Olmo love the blue clay. “It’s nice. You can see the ball better. The contrast is fantastic.”

In addition, Del Olmo says, it’s good to have something different to distinguish pictures of every other tennis match. “So for us (it) is fantastic.”

Coincidentally, smurf-blue is also the corporate color of the insurance company sponsoring the Madrid Open.

But many players are unhappy. Any change can unsettle them, Del Olmo says, even the color. Plus, he says, the surface makes you run differently. Big stars like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal hate it, saying it’s too slippery.

But at least one star loves it. Serena Williams approves because she says you don’t get as dirty playing on it as you do with red clay.

Our Geo Quiz question then: What is the name of the Madrid Open venue?


The Madrid Open facility looks like a big cube with a roof that slides off almost magically.

Hence it’s name, “La Caja Magica”, or Magic Box, which is the answer to our Geo Quiz.

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Discussion

6 comments for “Mystery of Madrid’s Blue Clay Tennis Courts”

  • Raquel94

    I don’t understand why players have complaints as far as the surface goes if it’s made of the same material and the people in charge of creating this court say it’s the same material and the only difference is the color. It makes me wonder if the players are just coming up with excuses because of how Del Olmo even says any change will unsettle them. I personally see more pros to it than cons. I agree with it being easier to see the ball, the court itself stands out from the original standards of other typical courts, you don’t get as dirty like with red clay, and yet it still looks/functions the same otherwise.

  • Sofia94

    See as I used to play many sports, I can agree with both sides. I agree with the players because any difference to an original field, or court in their case can cause a difference. When I played soccer and field hockey in both I have had to play on a regular grass field and at least played a game on turf or the fake grass fields, it made a difference running felt weird on it and when falling the plastic grass hurt more than the regular fields’. But at the same time the blue does help with seeing the tennis balls, on regular tennis courts its green and tennis balls are like a neon green. So the contrast between the lime green balls and the blue can help with viewing the ball.

  • estefania94

    I dont know what to think of this blue court. Its cool and different but it has its ups and downs. Like the contrast is better for the ground and the ball so it is definitely easier to see the ball. On the downside, if a player slips on the court it becomes a safety hazard. I have never played tennis so I don’t know what to thinl. I don’t know what shoes are best so that one wouldn’t slip but if its a shoe matter that they have, they could get better or different shoes to play with.

  • Graciela22

    Este artículo es muy interesante. La cancha azul es muy unica. Estoy de acuerdo con los dos lados. El contraste de color es bueno para los fotógrafos, pero es diferente para los atletas. Yo soy una atleta y un cambio en el campo puede hacer una diferencia grande.

  • Margarita63

    Me gusta mucho la cancha. Es muy interesante. Yo no me gusta el tenis mucho pero quiero jugar en esta cancha. Es muy bonita y me gusta que es azul y no es verde. Es interesante. Pienso que el cambio va a hacer un diferencia muy grande para los athleticos.

  • Margarita63

    Este articulo es muy interesante. Me gusta mucho el color de la cancha. Pienso que es muy bonita. Me gusta el azul mas de el verde. El diferencia del color va a cambiar el juego para Los atleticos. Es interesante. No me gusta el tenis mucho pero quiero jugar en una cancha que esta azul. Es muy interesante y diferente.