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ITF rejects Spanish complaint over US choice of Davis Cup surface

Apr 21, 2011, 14:21 GMT

London - A Spanish protest against the choice of an all-but- unused indoor court surface for the July quarter-final against the US in Texas was rejected Thursday by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

The ITF said that Indoor Hard Premiere had been approved for use by the Davis Cup committee. Spain had complained that the surface was not on a list of ITF-approved courts and could give the US an advantage as only one ATP event had ever been played on it.

But the ITF sided with the US: 'The committee determined that the court surface chosen by the Americans is of the type 'acrylic', which is used in over 30 tour events and two grand slam tournaments,' it said in a statement.

'The regulations did not specify or imply a requirement for specific brands.'

The decision may leave Spain, the world's current most powerful tennis nation, with little choice but to try and adapt in time for the July 8-10 tie in Austin, Texas, adopted home of US team member Andy Roddick.

The only ATP where the indoor surface has been used is in San Jose. The ITF said it would remain vigilant in testing the court once it was laid to make sure it meets minimum bounce specifications and was neither too quick nor too slow.

World number one Spaniard Rafael Nadal had joined in with his federation, saying 'if at the end (the surface) is not among the official ones, it should be ruled out or stiff fines should be applied.'

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