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MADRID: Madrid Masters supremo Ion Tiriac on Friday promised agradual improvement in traction on the new blue courts which havecome under fire from players this week. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have led the criticism of theslippery surface and Romanian billionaire Tiriac admits that playercomplaints are valid. However, he said no one is complaining about the blue colour whichpromises a revolution in clarity from the perspective of worldwidetelevision audiences. "The court is slippery and I apologise," said the former Davis Cupplayer, manager and impresario who has spent four decades in thegame. "We wanted to make sure that we had no player injuries, noankle problems. "As a result, the court experts rolled the base with too muchpressure. When the blue sand was put on top it was unable to meldwith the base, creating the slippage." But Tiriac said that after striking a maintenance deal with thecity of Madrid, the blue courts will remain in place year-round atthe Caja Magica and will eventually be as comfortable to play on astraditional red clay. The tournament advisor spoke at an impromptu meeting of threeformer presidents of the ATP, American Mark Miles (1990-2005),South African Etienne de Villiers (2005-2008) and Adam Helfant ofthe US (2009-2012), all guests of the tournament. Tiriac and Spanish tournament director Manolo Santana gaveassurances that despite player protests -- and Nadal's vow never toplay here again until the blue is gone - the situation on court isimproving almost on a daily basis. Tiriac said that the ATP must now deal with any players who haveobjections, deciding if they must compete or face sanctions in2013. "It's a pity," he said of Nadal's threat, echoed by Djokovic. "Iwould be very sad if they did not play. "The players are right when they say it is too slippery, We areworking daily to fix that and things are getting better. There arestill three days to go this week." Santana, a respected former grand slam winner, added that his ownreputation is on the line in his home country. "We have experts here from Spain, Roland Garros and Monte Carlo,"he said. "Of course I'm upset with what some players are saying,but we absolutely did not want any injuries." Tiriac added that, while players have a right to criticise, with aweek's total purse of up to $11 million they should also take someresponsibility and get on with the job. "That kind of money does not come from Mother Teresa," said thelarger than-life impresario. "The players have to give back aswell." - AFP/de. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Vase Speaker Manufacturer , Egg Shaped Speakers Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Egg Shaped Speakers today!
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