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When it comes to the blue clay in Madrid, there’s one thing we can all agree on: We’re all talking about the blue clay in Madrid. For a tournament without much history, that’s not a bad marketing coup. I’ll get to talking about the actual tennis that’s being played on these courts soon. Until then, here are some initial thoughts after bathing in the sea of blue that was the Caja Majica while sitting on my couch watching Tennis Channel’s early coverage.

• Better optics. Is the true, no? Among tournament owner Ion Tiriac’s defenses of blue clay, the one that’s universally convincing is that it offers better viewing for spectators. No doubt that the color contrast between the ball and the court is significantly better with blue as the backdrop. Watching red-clay tournaments on a non-HD television (or even worse, an online feed) can sometimes feel like a futile endeavor, where I pretend like I can totally see the ball when, really, I totally can’t see the ball. So watching matches on Tennis Channel in standard definition was great. You can track the ball as well as you can on a hard court. Which brings me to my next point …

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From Rafael Nadal’s stubborn need to add to his clay legacy in Barcelona to Andrea Petkovic’s rough week in Stuttgart, here are some of the best pics from last week’s action.

(David Ramos/Getty Images)

Rafael Nadal: A champ and his champs. Spraying the celebratory bubbly never gets old.

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(Zumapress)

Maria Sharapova: “Get in, loser, we’re going shopping.”

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Six Petko abs, three rhythmically challenged Brits, and two men and a baby. Here are some of the best pictures of the last week.

(Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Mike, Bob and Micaela Bryan: Baby straight chillin’ like it ain’t no thing. You might not be too impressed either, knowing your dad (Bob, on the right) has a habit of winning all the time. I mean, what’s one Masters 1000 title out of 20? One ATP trophy out of 77? “Call me when you do something special, dad.”

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(Valery Hache/Getty Images)

Rafael Nadal: Welcome home, Rafa. Sorry it’s a bit dusty, but I hear you like it that way.

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Maria Sharapova turns 25 on Thursday. At least that’s what our records indicate. Given what happened this week, Sharapova could have lied about her birthday. I wouldn’t put it past her. She could be 40 for all we know.

But it’s odd to be reminded that yes, Maria Sharapova — the Grande Dame of tennis — is only 25 years old. It feels like she’s been around forever and, well, she sort of has. She broke out at the young age of 17, where as the 13th seed she beat Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams to win her maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2004. Sharapova has continued to build on that (while building Sharapova, Inc., of course), tacking on two more Slam titles and a stint at No. 1. Now at 25 years old, she’s into her “second career”, still rebuilding her game since shoulder surgery knocked her out in 2008.

So we all know the post-2004-Wimbledon-winning Sharapova well. But what about before she became a thing? Here’s a look back at the early days, before young Maria Sharapova became “Maria Sharapova”. You know, the one who freaked out the world when she decided to throw on a wig.

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Bryan Bahr/Getty Images

Sharapova’s first full year on tour was 2002, and like many young players looking for match play, the now doubles-allergic Russian teamed up with Gisela Dulko at the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells. They won one match. Maria ain’t allergic to doubles for nothin’.

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Last week was all about homecomings, as the American men got their feet dirty in Houston, Caroline Wozniacki went home to Copenhagen and Sara Eranni and Pablo Andujar returned to tournaments that have always been good to them.

But enough about the tennis. This week on Felicity…

(Maria Sharapova/Facebook)

Maria Sharapova: The woman whose long blonde locks have been as much a part of her brand as three-Slam titles, has gone and chopped it all off. No really, it’s all gone (well, most of it anyways). I think she looks fabulously chic, but I’d be lying if I didn’t shriek in shock when I saw the pictures. The mind was reeling and I’m not proud of the flurry of questions that came flying out of my mouth:

1. How is that going to work with a visor?
2. OMG did you and Sasha break up?
3. So … barrettes? A headband? How are you going to tame your flyaways?
4. Girl, you’re getting married in six months! No one chops their hair like this before their wedding!
5. No really, how is this going to work with a visor? Because remember this?

Maria will return to the court at the tournament in Stuttgart next week. Next week could not come quick enough. I want to see this new ‘do in action.

(Update: Sharapova announced that the haircut was actually a wig.)

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(Neal Simpson/Landov)

Andy Murray: Always a follower, never a trendsetter. And even then he can’t get that right. Are people going to be queuing up in London for “The MuzzBuzz”?

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Serena Williams has embraced Instagram as a way to share photos of herself. (@serenawilliams)

In case you missed the news, Facebook has acquired Instagram, the retro-photo filter app for iPhone and Android, for $1 billion. I mean, it’s everything that is the world these days: It’s aught-technology wrapped up in a shaggy carpet of nostalgia. If people actually want to go back in time, how about we take that $1 billion and actually invent a time machine.

Not that Instagram has been limited to tech-hipsters and teenagers who now have an easy way to post and share pictures of sunsets, dorm food, and scuffed-up Converses. Athletes use it all the time too, and though people can laugh at the faux-artsy nature of photo filters, one thing we can all agree on is that it encourages people to share random moments from their lives. Those small moments can be fun and telling, so hey, if Instagram means I get more access into the lives of my favorite players, give the company all the money it wants.

Here’s a short list of players who have already taken to Instagram like black plastic glasses to hipsters.

1. Serena Williams: Nobody uses Instagram better than Serena. Simply Nobody.

2. Victoria Azarenka: Azarenka just recently got a new iPhone, which she loves, and she’s been Instagramming like a pro ever since. Here is her artistic rendering of how technology has overtaken the simplest of things, such as family dinner. On the flip side, remember those days when you could eat your dinner without some top tennis player taking out their camera, snapping a picture, and then photocopying it and handing it out to 87,000 complete strangers? Just wondering.

3. Dinara Safina: Dinara was an early adopter of the Instagram craze and her constant stream of retro pictures of Moscow make you think she’s part of the set-design team for a movie set during the Cold War. Now if only she could get her brother into it…

4. Edina Gallovits-Hall: She’s new to the game, but I think the world No. 96 getting the hang of it. Also… I want a cupcake.

5. Maria Sharapova: OK, I don’t have proof that this is actually an Instagram. After all, Sharapova is a true saleswoman and she would never post an Instagram from her Sony Xperia phone — yes the same Sony Xperia that was her sponsor at the time the pic was taken — when the app wasn’t available yet for Android, would she? Because if she did it would pretty much tell everyone that she wasn’t using her Sony Xperia phone, but actually a — gasp! — iPhone. Basically what I’m saying is that Maria has an iPhone and so “AHA!” I caught you. Busted.

Did I miss any other great Instagrammers? Let me know in the comments.

The U.S. Davis Cup team keeps trying to climb the mountain, Serena Williams is both punisher and comforter, Team France says goodbye to departing Davis Cup captain Guy Forget and President Barack Obama shows off his backhand during an Easter event at the White House. Here are some of the best photos from the last week in tennis.

(Eric Gaillard/Reuters)

John Isner: “Augh, this was funny the first few times, but y’all need to stop trying to climb me.”

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(David W. Cerny/Reuters)

Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych: Not only is its handshake technique questionable, but the Czech Republic’s CPR training also leaves a lot to be desired.

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Hellos, goodbyes and Victoria Azarenka is still beating the daylights out of people. Here are some of the best pictures from the first week at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

(Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

UFC’s Rashad Evans and Victoria Azarenka: If ever one picture summed up the WTA in 2012, this is it.

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(Cynthia Lum/Icon SMI)

Venus Williams: Azarenka isn’t the only one who can rock shorts and build winning streaks. Playing her first tournament since last September, Venus upset No. 3 Petra Kvitova in the second round and was set to face Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round Monday.

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Dubai, Malaysia, Acapulco and Delray Beach. Tennis was played all over the globe last week. From Novak Djokovic’s “shock” loss to the annual tradition of David Ferrer in a sombrero, here are some of our favorite pics from last week.

(Reuters/AP)

Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic: Yeah, we were all a bit shocked too, Novak.

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(Zumapress)

Andy Roddick: Well, the form still looks good. There’s always that.

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A look back on the week in pictures, with some emotional wins in Memphis, an AC Slater sandwich, and Julia Goerges showing why she has some of the best facial expressions in the game.

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(Charley Gallay/Getty Images for VF)

Serena and Venus Williams with Mario Lopez: Someone ring the bell! Please, someone ring the bell!

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