Exciting Games at Mutua Madrid Open

The famous Spanish tournament had seen many great players on its fields.

The Mutua Madrid Open is a very prestigious professional tennis tournament. The current sponsor of the event is Mutua Madrilena and it is of course held in Madrid. The event is an Association of Tennis Professionals tour and it is classified as Premier Mandatory event on the Women’s Tennis Association tour. The Spanish stage of the tournament has had changes of venue as well as the surface but not the spirit.

• The Madrid Open is played on clay
• Rafael Nadal has won 4 times
• World No.3 Murray plays today

First the tournament took place in Stockholm, Sweden from 1990 to 1994. After the success of the ATP Masters Series classified event in 1995 it was moved to Essen, Germany. However the Swedish tour is still held annually as an ATP World Series event. Before its current place in Madrid it was held in Stuttgart, Germany from 1996 to 2001. When the surface changed from indoor hardcourt to clay courts WTA professionals got included in the event. With such a long history it is only natural that the event is very popular among all who enjoy to bet on sports in the EU. Although tennis can be a little predictable the tour often surprises us.

The Blue Clay

Ion Tiriac is a Romanian businessman. He is also a former tennis player as well as the owner of the Madrid Masters. The idea of the blue clay came from him thinking that the color would work better on television. Many suggested that the color is just to honor Mutua Madrilena, the main sponsor of the legendary tour. Concerns were raised over the quality of the colored clay by trainers as well as many athletes. The organizers have stated that the clay will only differ from any other in color but not in texture. The 2012 tour was held on blue clay but it didn’t stay that way for too long. Due to general concerns it was changed back to the traditional red.

Boris Becker has won the Madrid Open four times, which is the highest number of wins in history. The former World No. 1 player from Germany is a six-time Grand Slam champion. He was the youngest ever man to stand on the Wimbledon singles podium. He also won 13 Master Series Titles and an Olympic Gold medal in doubles. Not only is he one of the biggest figures in tennis but he is currently coaching Novak Djokovic. Becker’s game was based on his amazing serves that usually shocked the other player and put him in the lead. These legendary serves were the origin of the nickname “Boom Boom”.

Rafael Nadal

The player who ties with Becker for the most Madrid Open titles is Rafael Nadal. It would be fair to say without exaggeration that he is known all around the world. The 28 years old Spanish professional is currently No. 4 on the ATP rankings, gambling news reports. He earned his nickname “The King of the Clay” by his extraordinary talent to use the slippery surface to his advantage. With 14 Grand Slam singles titles and the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, Nadal is definitely one of the greatest players ever. The Spanish phenomenon is an aggressive player who relies on his footwork a lot.

The official beginning of Nadal’s season was the start of the 2015 Qatar Open on Jan 5. It was an unpleasant first tour since he lost in the first round against Michael Berrer world number 127. After the Australian and the Rio open he finally won his first tour of the year on the Argentina Open. In the Monte-Carlo Masters he was defeated by world No. 1 Novak Djokovics continuing one of the most interesting duals in history. However last year it was more between Federer and Djokovics. All in all this is going to be a great season with Andy Murray raking No. 3 at the moment.

The 2015 Madrid Open is going to see Andy Murray and Philipp Kohlschreiber playing against each other today (May 6) at 20:30 (GMT). “It was an extremely tough match and a dramatic finish – that always makes it a little bit nicer,” Murray said about his recent victory over Kohlschreiber in Munich. It is crucial for both athletes to perform well this close to the French Open. online sportsbooks in the EU suggest odds like3.50 (5/2) for Kohlschreiber and 1.33 (1/3) for Murray. However the tournament is far from the finals and many great players are still in the game.