The Madrid Masters

Getting There

Ola from Madrid,

It was a case of third time lucky for Andy in the Spanish capital and the second time  I had to make a mad dash to the Madrid Masters to see him. Two years ago when he made his debut, I flew in first class for the first and only time (because the flight was full) for his quarter final match against Novak Djokovic.
But that trip was borne out of necessity rather than pleasure.

Andy had split his shoe during his last 16 clash with Ivan Ljubicic and there was not a pair in his size and make to be found in the city! The new shoes did not get the job done and he lost despite leading by a set and a break.

Every cloud has a silver lining though - David Beckham came to watch the match and popped into the player lounge to say hello. I remember how polite and humble he was and how he said he hoped Andy’s match wouldn't go on too late as he had to be home by midnight to let the babysitter away!

This year I made it by the skin of my teeth. I checked on the internet for flights from Scotland to Madrid the moment he shook hands with Roger Federer and got lucky. It was 1450 and Easyjet had a flight from Edinburgh at 1705. I booked online, chucked a few things into my rucksack and headed for the airport 40 miles away. Just made it.

That's where my Blackberry comes in pretty handy. A couple of emails to book into the tournament hotel and arrange a pick up by the tournament transport followed by a text to let Andy know I was on my way. Sorted.

Everything went pretty smoothly, I got to the hotel Puerta America around 2130. It’s the trendiest hotel ever, each floor is designed by a different designer and so has an individual theme. In the last 3 years I've stayed on the white floor ( it’s like living inside an ipod), the black floor (even the loo roll is black) where you just can't see a damn thing and this year the red floor. Ceiling to floor in red plastic, I could have been in a post box – it was seriously weird.

Out of my window I could look across the main road to a massive tennis club which had 28 clay courts, 6 mini tennis clay courts, each with a practice wall and 3 individual practice wall cubicles, it’s mid-October and all but 2 courts were full.

Finals Day

Finals day at the major events is quite strange. The player lounge and restaurant are deserted as everyone’s gone home with just the finalists are rattling around it with their coaches and physios.

Both Andy and his opponent Gilles Simon are coached by ex players and this comes in very useful when there's no other players left to practice with.

The 3 practice courts are at the back of the tournament village and spectators can watch from behind the courts, Madrid is one of the few indoor venues where you can get really close to the players, or from the first floor. The middle practice court has a big screen at the back showing the action from the centre court - the doubles final. The 9600 seater arena seems pretty empty at this point and that's a real shame for the doubles guys.

Gilles practiced first with his coach Thierry Tulasne and although Andy could have hit on an adjoining court at the same time, he chose to hit with Miles Maclagan after Gilles had finished. I guess you don't want your opponent, or his coach, to see what you’re doing! I watched from the balcony then had a wander round the tournament village stopping to buy a few souvenirs for prizes for competitions on Andy’s website.

I joined Andy, Miles, AI (Andy Ireland, Andy’s physio) and Alex Corretja for lunch in the player restaurant. They do fab stir-frys and there is a sweet table to die for. I would happily have stayed in there for the afternoon but there was a match to watch.

Corretja worked with Andy during the clay season, he's a former world number 2 and was commentating for Spanish TV. He was also conducting the on court interviews with the winners and was so worried about dribbling his stir fry down his Lacoste polo shirt that he changed into an old t-shirt (at the table) before he started eating.

Andy ate his usual plate of pasta and tomato sauce before heading to the locker room to prepare. He seemed very relaxed. I went to the player lounge to read my book and waited for the match to be called.

The final started quietly and a little slowly. The crowd took a bit of time to settle into it which wasn't surprising as they had probably been expecting/hoping for Nadal vs Federer. It wasn't an epic final but as Brad Gilbert used to say - "you don't have to play your best every day. You just have to play better than the guy on the other side of the net".

It got a bit nerve wracking at the end of the tie break but Andy managed to get there 6-4, 7-6 saving 2 set points. It was the first title I had seen him win since the US Open juniors in 2004, but it was his 7th ATP tour title and his second Masters.

I couldn’t help thinking back 12 months when he was struggling to regain his form and confidence after the wrist injury, his junior coach Leon Smith, his best mate Carlos Mier and myself were all in Madrid to support him and believe in him. It proved to be a turning point as he beat Stepanek and Chela in straight sets before narrowly losing to Nadal, his form was terrific and he was on his way back.

Talking of getting back, he didn't have much time to enjoy his win. After the on court interviews and posing with the model ball girls, it was time for the prize ceremony then the press conference, a quick shower and off to the airport, grabbing some food and catching the flight to Heathrow!

A day in London sorting the laundry, walking the dog, ice bath, cycle to flush out the toxins and its back on the road again. This time to Russia for the St Petersburg Open, and so it goes on.

Follow Andy in St. Petersburg on the British Tennis Map and in the News area.