Uncle Toni: Madrid can proceed without Tiriac

Toni Nadal, the uncle and coach of Rafael Nadal, tells Spanish TV, "that the ATP given permission to this [Madrid] is an outrage," and that it's not worth the risk of the players' health to compete on such a slippery surface.

Toni Nadal also took aim at tournament owner Ion Tiriac, saying, "I'll thank you if you take him somewhere else, to see if we can organize [the tournament] without him ... but the blame is also with ATP that allowed Tiriac to do that. What power this man must have that allows him to change customs and habits of the players ... Tiriac apologized to Rafa after the match. But the big culprit is ATP, which should not have give permission [for blue clay] and I hope that they do not give it next year."

Veteran tennis journalist Richard Evans, who is in Madrid, tweeted that Tiriac will step down in 2013, but didn't specify why. A Romanian TV station reported that Tiriac is merely stepping away from the administrative side of things, and will remain as tournament owner and chairman.