World No. 1 Rafael Nadal says that even though the International Tennis Federation denied Spain’s appeal of the surface the United States will use for its Davis Cup tie, the ITF must be diligent in checking court speed.
By a unanimous vote, the ITF’s Davis Cup Committee agreed that the surface “Premier Court,” chosen for the tie July in Austin, Texas, complies with regulations. Premier was termed as a generic type of acrylic hard court, which is said to used in over 30 ATP events and two Grand Slam tournaments, with varying speeds.
"The most important and the main thing is to see the court and see how it is," Nadal said. "The fastest [courts] I've played on are in Tokyo and Montreal. If the Austin court is faster than these, then you have grounds for complaint, because it is illegal. But I know that the ITF has equipment to measure speed the ball and not allow it to violate the limits. However, we all know that when we play away, they always put in the fastest courts they can."
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Spanish Davis Cup Albert Costa added: "What worries me most is not knowing exactly what the proposed court is. We must know what to expect. However, it is essential that the ITF takes it seriously and not allow irregularities."
Court Pace Rating testing will be carried out by the ITF Science and Technical Department once the court is laid in Austin and available for play.—Matthew Cronin