Andy Roddick lashes out after defeat

Andy Roddick hit out at French Open organisers after he became the biggest male casualty of this year's tournament today.

Sixth seed Roddick suffered a crushing third-round defeat to world number 114 Teimuraz Gabashvili, who completed a 6-4 6-2 6-2 victory in just one hour 56 minutes on Suzanne Lenglen Court.

Three-time Wimbledon runner-up Roddick is not a fan of Roland Garros' notoriously-slow second showcourt, having lost five straight matches on it.

But it was not being scheduled there which infuriated the American.

Instead, he was angry with the way court covers are allowed to stay wet at the back of the court at Roland Garros, a gripe which saw him involved in several tense exchanges with the umpire.

He said: "They dry the whole court, but then they leave the tarps soaking wet.

"If a ball rolls through a puddle enough times, can you tell me what happens to it? Then when clay attaches to it, it doesn't get lighter.

"It's something that I've been pretty adamant about complaining about behind closed doors for a long time.

"The umpire said to me, 'Well, it happens every year'. I'm going, 'Is that supposed to make me feel better?' I didn't understand that logic."

Asked repeatedly about the court itself, Roddick added: "It's just the way that it plays doesn't really help me out much. That's all. That's fine."