Madrid Memories: Roger Federer's wins between blue and red clay, and hard courts

Unlike the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and the Italian Open, Roger Federer has a winning history at the Mutua Madrid Open. The Swiss Maestro has triumphed three times in the Madrid event, the Spanish city where the current ATP Masters 1000 of the season is played.

Roger won the title for the first time in 2006, 14 years ago. On that occasion he faced the Chilean Fernando González: Federer won in three sets, with the score of 7-5, 6-1, 6-0, conquering his first title in Madrid, on a different surface from today: in fact before of the 2009 ATP reform the tournament was played on indoor hard-courts and at the end of October.

In 2009, the year of the ATP reform, the tournament was played on clay courts and in May, in preparation for the French Open. That year Federer managed to beat his rival Rafael Nadal for the first time in an ATP Masters 1000 in a final on clay. Roger defeated his nemesis with the final score of 6-4, 6-4. A few weeks later he won the Roland Garros, getting the Career Grand Slam, and then Wimbledon, breaking Pete Sampras' Slams' record. A magical year.

The third triumph of the Swiss in Madrid came in another magical year for him, 2012. On that occasion he won in the final against Tomas Berdych, recovering the first set, with the final score of 3-6, 7-5, 7-5. Only two months later he won the seventh title at Wimbledon and the 17th Slam of his career, also returning world no. 1. A curiosity: Roger Federer won the only edition of the tournament on blue clay-courts, in 2012.

A memory of past days which the COVID-19 pandemic suspended over time. The tournament will not be relocated this season, but it will be played directly in 2021, not following the line of other events such as the Roland Garros or as it is more commonly-known, the French Open, which were rescheduled for the second half of 2020.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3ahkJaV