Rafael Nadal, who vehemently complained last year that Madrid’s blue clay courts were too slippery and caused too many bad bounces, says that the tournament has done a good job installing red clay courts this year.
“The courts this year fortunately are really good,” he told reporters in Madrid. “I think they are great. The only thing I can say is thank you to the tournament for the money that they have invested to have the highest quality courts in here. I think that obviously the court last year was not up to the level that we needed. It was not prepared to be a competitive court.
"In Madrid, we have the problem of the dry climate, so it's very difficult to have the clay that settles down properly, a clay that's the same as in other places. I think this year we have managed to have good clay here. It's great, and the courts are to the highest level. The courts cannot be better.”