Roger Federer: Maturity and Experience Gives Legend a Leg Up in Madrid Open

Aging tennis superstar Roger Federer has as good a shot as any competitor in the field to win the 2012 Madrid Open.

The blue clay that the Madrid promoters decided to use this year instead of the traditional red clay has many top players upset.

Both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have made a huge fuss about the stuff.

Per Reuters.com, Djokovic was particularly adamant about expressing his displeasure:

"

I hit five balls throughout the whole match. Everything else I was just trying to put the ball in the court so I just rely on my serve and getting some points eventually from his unforced errors. For me that's not tennis. Either I come up with the football shoes or I invite Chuck Norris to advise me on how I should play on this court.

"

Federer, on the other hand, has a different take, per Agence France-Presse:

"

I've played on it for two days, but not on centre court. It feels a bit different than regular clay. Maybe it's the visual aspect. It's been cool and rainy so far here. It will be interesting to see who it is in hot and nice weather…I have to wait for my match to come around to give a proper opinion.

"

Playing on a surface nobody is familiar with will benefit players with cool heads. Federer is taking this whole thing in stride, and when things get tough he knows how to keep his emotions in check.

Granted, Federer barely escaped the second round against Milos Raonic and won in extra sets 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4).

Don't think that's a sign of things to come, though. 

Federer is coming off of an extended absence after his late March loss to Andy Roddick, and he was bound to be a bit rusty at the start of this tournament. Once he gets into his old rhythm again and continues to get the feel of the foreign blue clay, he's going to be a dangerous competitor.

People assume Federer is at the end of his career. He's been playing for what seems like forever, but in reality he is still only 30 years old. There is still a lot of gas left in his tank and his experience as a champion gives him a leg up on the competition.

Federer has the experience and championship credentials to make a strong push back to challenge Djokovic and Nadal for a couple more years. 

Don't be surprised if he ends up walking away from Madrid with a win over one or both of the young stars.

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