VIENNA, Feb 9: Andy Roddick survived four hours on “the worst” of all clay courts to put the US into 1-0 lead over Austria in their Davis Cup World group tie on Friday.

“Is it the worst I’ve played on in the Davis Cup? Absolutely,” raged the American after snatching victory over Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3.

“It was terrible but at least it was terrible for both sides,” he added of a court which was only ready for practise on Tuesday after being laid down late due to a previous sporting event in the Ferry Dusika velodrome.

“I’m not sure why they were granted special permission by the ITF to do this. I tried asking the referee and didn’t get an answer. I don’t know who I should ask next,” Roddick complained.

“It was only laid on Tuesday and clay needs time to settle. It’s a shame when points are decided by the court and not the players.”

Roddick, whose last match was a third-round defeat at the Australian Open, showed his discomfort on clay, where his booming serve counts for much less than on a hardcourt.

He managed 21 aces but also struck 68 unforced errors to nearly 100 for Melzer. Roddick missed on 14 break chances out of 22. “I knew my match against Jurgen would be my toughest,” stated Roddick. “He played great but I was finally able to get to him in the fifth set.”—AFP