Nikolay Davydenko, already under suspicion for match fixing allegations, was fined $2,000 last week for a lack of effort at The St. Petersburg Open.
The Russian lost his match to Croatian qualifier and underdog Marin Cilic, 1-6, 7-5, 6-1, which has aroused more suspicion that Davydenko is throwing matches.
Davydenko, the world number 4, was top seed for the tournament and easily won the first set 6-1 in just 27 minutes. However, he drew a rebuke from umpire Jean-Philippe Dercq in the third set after he had double faulted 4 times in the second set and 6 times in the third, which contributed to him losing the match.
After the match Davydenko said, “When I made a double-fault, he gave me a notice for a wrong behaviour on the court as if I was throwing the match. I was surprised. I’ve never heard anything like this before. No matter how I’d played, no matter what had happened to me, I was never given such a notice.”
During the conversation between Davydenko and the umpire, Dercq asked him about his condition and Davydenko claimed there was nothing wrong, however he said later he had problems with his legs.
Davydenko said, “He couldn’t solve the problem anyway, that’s why I first told him I was OK, but I didn’t play the way I did in the first set. That’s why he gave me a notice. Later I told him that my legs had collapsed. I could not move.”
Nikolay Davydenko has qualified for the end of season Masters Cup in Shanghai by emerging as victor of the Kremlin Cup. The game’s authorities are sure to keep an eye on him after he was fined $2,000 for his match at the St. Petersburg Open.
The Russian player is also under investigation by the ATP for a match in August in Poland whereby online bookmaker Betfair suspended bets due to irregular betting patterns.
The pattern of that match was similar to the one in St. Petersburg as Davydenko took the first set 6-1 against world number 87 Martin Vassallo Arguello. He then withdrew from the match in the third set claiming he had a foot injury.
Andy Murray who said a few weeks ago that match fixing was common in tennis said about Davydenko’s fine, “It doesn’t happen too often when guys get warned for not trying, so yes, of course, it does surprise me. Davydenko is one of the best players in tight, close matches.”
The fine is proof that the ATP is trying to clean up tennis and bring an end to match fixing in the sport.
