The idea the US Open once had which Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal all hated and voted against

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Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal were fierce rivals on the court, but outside the arena, they occasionally found common ground.

The US Open gets underway next week and preparations are in full swing, with Coco Gauff appearing to need a miracle to snap a string of early exits and build some momentum as she bids to defend her title.

However, Frances Tiafoe could be the American source of inspiration this year as the 26-year-old is in stellar form after reaching his maiden Masters 1000 final at the Cincinnati Open.

Whatever happens, it promises to be an exciting time in New York and, to boost the hype, Andy Roddick welcomed an insider onto his show.

What idea sparked negativity from the Big Three?

Roddick has been making waves with his relatively new podcast ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘, and in his latest episode invited Eric Butorac on as a guest.

Butorac is an ex-professional player who specialized in doubles, famously reaching the final of the 2014 Australian Open.

He also spent time on the ATP Player Council alongside Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.

In the episode, Butorac recalls a time when a meeting was held to discuss the idea of blue clay on the tour.

“I started and was saying: ‘They say it looks better on TV and it plays the same, so why don’t we try it?’,” Butorac said. “Then Rafa goes next and he starts with: ‘All clay should be red’, then goes on a Spanish tirade, after which the board rep says: ‘Rafa votes no’.

“It then goes to Novak, and he goes: ‘They had a blue court last year in Madrid which I tried, it’s slippery and dangerous, I vote no.

“It finally gets to Federer and he goes: ‘I think blue clay is a good idea, and then we should bring out the clowns and the elephants and have a circus on the court’.”

What happened during Madrid Open 2012?

The Madrid Open was owned by Romanian businessman and former top 10 ATP player Ion Tiriac between 2009 and 2021.

During the 2012 edition of the tournament, Tiriac suggested that it would be more aesthetically pleasing for viewers if the clay was blue, instead of its natural red, so he implemented it for that year’s tournament.

Federer ended up clinching the title that week after an epic comeback triumph over Tomas Berdych in the final.

However, after threats of boycotts from some of the tour’s most iconic names, notably Nadal and Djokovic, the blue clay never made an appearance again.