12 for '12: Stories of the Year

Peter Bodo concludes his year-end awards—12 in all, for 2012—with the Stories of the Year. You can see all of his prior selections at the end of this article.

Men’s: Blue Clay Brouhaha in Madrid

Ion Tiriac turned the clay courts of his Madrid Masters tournament blue in 2012, but by the end of his grand and somewhat goofy experiment his own face had turned red, like the courts had always been, and like the players wanted them to remain—apparently forever.  

This became an enormous story when players, including world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and world No. 2 Rafael Nadal, dramatically criticized Tiriac’s decision to create blue clay courts, firing their first shots across his bow before they even turned up in Madrid to actually try out the surface. You knew right then that the tournament would be a bumpy ride.  

A brilliant and entrepreneurial promoter, Tiriac is not above asking the obvious yet utterly unexpected question; in this case it was: “Where is it written that all European clay-courts must be red?” Demonstrating his credentials as a master-of-the-obvious, Nadal declared weeks before the event: “The history of the clay-court season was on red, it wasn’t on blue.”  

Djokovic asserted that he was for change before he was against it, in a way that a politician might admire: “Sometimes, change is good. I like innovative and creative people. But on the other hand, it’s going to be the only blue-clay tournament in the world, first time ever in history.”  

Ummm…isn’t that what “change” and “innovation” are all about? But never mind.  

When the pros did convene in Madrid, the situation went from bad to worse. By consensus, the blue clay was more “slippery,” and “soft spots” on the court affected the bounce and footing—a condition that seems to have been caused by the way the courts were installed, not by their composition, per se.  

Whether different playing properties (as in “more like familiar red clay”) would have quashed resistance is open to debate. What we know for certain is that the dyes used to make red or blue courts are different, and it appears that the bleaching process used to make the blue clay may have affected the actual material in an unpredictable way. But it’s not like the surface was dangerous or ill-suited to the game, as the results demonstrated, and the task of adjusting to it was the same for everyone.  

Some of the dissenters were simply trying to protect what they considered to be hallowed red turf, and they were loath to surrender the advantage traditional clay gave them. Nadal came right out and complained that the slicker surface would help players like John Isner, Milos Raonic, and Roger Federer—who went on to win the men’s tournament.  

Moderate voices, like that of Maria Sharapova, were drowned out. Granted, the blue clay was friendlier to her game than red clay, but she was also very reasonable about the controversy: “I find [the blue clay] different and some parts of the court have more clay than others. They are trying to work out the kinks. I think the blue clay is a little more for spectators, TV and buzz…”  

Satisfying those criteria is generally considered healthy for the sport, as well as essential to the happiness and material well-being of the players. But the anti-blues had their heels dug in, so much so that by the time the balls started flying, Nadal and Djokovic almost had to lose early to make their point. And that they did: Fernando Verdasco eliminated Nadal in the third round, while Djokovic went out, slipping and sliding and gesticulating, in the fourth round to Janko Tipsarevic.  

“If it’s blue (next year), I don’t come,” Djokovic said dramatically after losing.  

True to predictions by the red-clay advocates, the final featured two aggressive risk-takers, with Federer prevailing over Tomas Berdych, 7-5 in the third (Serena Williams routed Victoria Azarenka in the women’s final, 6-1, 6-3).

Headlines and articles about the blue clay rolled out right through finals day, and beyond. At the pre-Wimbledon ATP board of directors meeting, executive chairman and president Brad Drewett announced that there would be no blue clay in Madrid (or anywhere else) in 2013.

“I very much believe in innovation and exploring ways to enhance our sport,” Drewett said. “While the blue clay may have offered better visibility on television, there were clearly issues with the quality of the courts in Madrid this year. … We must first ensure that courts are safe and fair for players.”  

It looks like Europe will remain red, and Federer will go down in history as the greatest player ever on Smurf-blue clay.  

Honorable Mentions: Brian Baker’s remarkable comeback and performance on the European clay-court circuit; Lukas Rosol’s second-round upset of Nadal at Wimbledon.

Women’s: Maria Sharapova, the Surprise Career Grand Slammer

Sharapova’s victory in the French Open was the story of the year in the women’s game because it put the Russian into an elite group of just five other Open-era women who had also completed a Career Grand Slam (by having won each of the four majors at least once).  

Furthermore, Sharapova achieved that feat at a somewhat wild and turbulent time, and under unusual circumstances. She won just three titles and lost a whopping six finals (see yesterday’s post on the Runner-Ups of the Year) in 2012, yet she bagged one of the most coveted of all honors at the tournament where she has always been considered least likely to triumph.  

In fact, it had been over four years since Sharapova last won a Grand Slam singles title (2008 Australian Open), and her victory at the French Open was just her fourth major overall. Although she’s just 25, it’s unlikely that she’ll be able to acquire more than that one set of those four trophies.  

I don’t want to take any credit away from Sharapova, but a lot of things over which she had no control went right during her run. Going into the tournament, she had been soundly beaten by Azarenka in two finals, winning a total of just eight games in their meetings at the Australian Open and Indian Wells, before beating her in Stuttgart—a clay-court tune-up for Roland Garros.  

After Stuttgart, Sharapova lost in the quarterfinals of Madrid—on a “slippery” blue-clay court that benefited her game (see above)—to the toughest No. 9 seed ever, Serena Williams. But despite that 6-1, 6-3 loss, Sharapova’s game began to click on clay. She won all her matches leading to the Rome final in straight sets, and won the title over former French Open champion Li Na in a bitter, close match, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5). It gave Sharapova tremendous momentum and seasoned her for the task to come.  

Sharapova was devastating right out of the blocks in Paris, losing just five games in her first three matches. Her energy spared, she survived a close three-setter with Klara Zakopalova in the fourth round, then dismissed Kaia Kanepi and Petra Kvitova with little trouble—neither woman won more than three games in any set.  

Meanwhile, the women who were most capable of stopping Sharapova had all run off the rails. Serena was the victim of a shocking, first-round upset at the hands of Virginie Razzano; Agnieszka Radwanska, who had a big win over Sharapova in Miami, was out in the third round. Azarenka and Li were upset one round later, and dangerous No. 10 seed Angelique Kerber was dismissed by the unlikely finalist Sara Errani, who had never before appeared in a Grand Slam final and had won just two singles titles in her entire career before 2012.  

Can you say, “serendipity?”  

Sharapova handled the tricky assignment of being the overwhelming favorite against a crafty underdog with aplomb and solid nerves—can you imagine the story line had she lost?—remaining faithful to her aggressive, first-strike game despite her opponent’s considerable skill as a defender and counter-puncher.  

Sharapova won, 6-3, 6-2, and by the end of that day, Errani’s moving story as a surprise finalist was eclipsed by the even more noteworthy tale of the Surprise Career Grand Slammer.  

Honorable Mention: Victoria Azarenka’s 26-match winning streak, lasting from the start of the season until a loss to Marion Bartoli in Miami.

[Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story indicated that Sharapova lost to Azarenka in the Stuttgart final, when in fact Sharapova defeated Azarenka.]

12 for '12: Year-End Awards

**- Wednesday, November 28: Coaches of the Year

- Thursday, November 29: Doubles Performances of the Year  

- Friday, November 30: Tournaments of the Year  

- Saturday, December 1: Upsets of the Year  

- Sunday, December 2: Quotes of the Year  

- Monday, December 3: Feuds of the Year  

- Tuesday, December 4: Newcomers of the Year  

- Wednesday, December 5: Most Improved Players  

- Thursday, December 6: Biggest Disappointments  

- Friday, December 7: Comebacks of the Year  

- Saturday, December 8: Runner-Ups of the Year  

- Sunday, December 9: Stories of the Year**

**Player of the Year, Men: Novak Djokovic

Player of the Year, Women: Serena Williams**