The 2012 Madrid Open will always be remembered for being the only edition to take place on blue clay. Roger Federer won that tournament, becoming the only men’s singles player to win on that surface. But beyond his victories, Federer’s tactical genius lay in his thorough understanding of the game. This was evident in the final match of the 2012 Madrid Open when an incident during the match led Federer to school the chair umpire.
Roger Federer lost the first set 3-6 against Tomas Berdych in the final and was ahead 3-0 in the second set. This is when he hit a drop shot, forcing Berdych to scamper towards it. As Berdych reached the ball, he sent it towards Federer with a topspin on it. This was the point of contention as Federer noticed a flaw in it.
At first, Berdych got the point. But then Federer walked up to the chair umpire and explained to him, that the physics behind the movement of the tennis ball suggested that Berdych had fouled. Federer believed he saw the ball hit the ground first and then Berdych picked it up, which wasn’t the right way. Whereas the umpire explained that he saw the ball come directly out of Berdych’s racket.
A clip shared by Tennis TV recently shows the exact moment of that controversy. It also shows the conversation that followed between Federer and the chair umpire after it.
Tennis TV wrote, “Roger Federer casually explaining how tennis works.”
Here’s how the conversation between Roger Federer and the chair umpire went:
Federer: “Did you see that ball bounce towards me?”
Umpire: “Yeah! But for me it looks like he comes under with the racquet.”
Federer: “Yeah, I know but the ball came bouncing at me topspin away. It’s the only way if he pushes that down into the court first.”
Umpire: “It looks like it comes just under. I probably missed it, but for me it was like that Roger.”
Federer: “I agree it was close but the result was obvious. He didn’t hit it the right way. Otherwise the ball goes up in the air.”
In the end, the chair umpire’s call persisted and Berdych won that point. However, on closer inspection and further replays, it was clear that Federer should’ve won that point. Federer fans also believe that with the grace and confidence with which he approached the chair umpire and challenged the point, the decision should’ve gone his way.
Not only did he believe in what he saw, he approached the matter most respectfully. Now, years later when the video is shared by Tennis TV, here is the verdict from the fans –
The blue clay in that year’s Madrid Open was especially notorious for its slippery nature. Even Rafael Nadal blamed his shock loss to Fernando Verdasco in the third round on the surface. It was one of his biggest losses in the history of the Madrid Open and the blue clay was gone from the following year.
But Federer managed to expertly play on it, judging the surface perfectly and eventually winning on it. He beat Berdych 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 to win the tournament.
Roger Federer Proved He Is ‘Class Personified’ With Madrid Open Win
Amidst several complaints about the blue clay court, Roger Federer managed to simply focus on his game. With that win, Federer secured his 20th Masters title and his 3rd and final Madrid Open title. While he did acknowledge that the surface was slippery and the conditions were tough, he never let that be an issue. After the match, still in high spirits, this is what Federer had to say:
Federer said, “Yeah! Very happy. It was tough. I mean I was like down almost the whole time and then finally got the break in the third and then he broke back and things got really tough again. But look, I played great. I mean, I dunno it was tough conditions obviously, as we know its slippery and stuff and I could’ve lost in the first round. So this is always special, winning a title 7-5 in the third, you know when things get tough, you know, crowds were amazing and I’m very happy.”
His ability to keep a positive mindset is what set Roger Federer apart from everyone. Even as Djokovic has surpassed him in number of Grand Slams won, Federer remains special in fans’ hearts and minds.
After this tournament, he headed to Rome to play in the Italian Open. He lost to Novak Djokovic in the semi-final there, but his 2012 Madrid Masters win remains one of his best wins on clay.
