Progress on the investigation of Nikolay
Davydenko and alleged match-fixing has reached a sensational stage with
reports today that the Russian "refused to volunteer records of all
telephones owned or used by him when asked to do so under the ATP's
anti-corruption rules".
The latest report in Friday's Guardian (Davydenko
wife questioned in tennis probe)
reveals that investigators also flew to Frankfurt to interview
Davydenko's wife and brother. The Russian's lawyer has pleaded for the
investigation to stop until December 31. "Nikolay is under economic and
mental pressure. He has done everything he could; he and his wife and
brother have talked to the investigation. Now they have been
investigating for four months they have the names of the accounts of
everyone who has bet on this," he said.
Also in the report, is new information about just who stood to profit
from Betfair's voided market on the Davydenko-Vassallo match in Poland.
"Immenga (Davydenko's lawyer) claimed the ATP's investigators had told
him that among the account-holders to have bet against Davydenko in the
match against Vassallo were nine people based in Russia. He said the
nine stood to make £725,000 from Davydenko's failure, adding that
another two account-holders whose location was not known had increased
that figure to £3.3m."
Not a single match from a European Masters Series event has appeared on
the list of 140+ highly suspicious matches over the past five years but
it hasn't stopped tennis authorities sending out the French undercover
cops at the Paris Masters this week.
According to the Guardian, "Officers specialising in gambling from the Renseignements Généraux, the intelligence service of the French police,
have been given full accreditation to roam incognito among the stands
and corridors." Bit late to find the fixers hanging around tournaments
we think. Now they are targeting people "caught placing a bet on the
internet". What a mess.
Meanwhile, we had our first
suspicious
match since the now infamous Davydenko-Vassallo incident at St
Petersburg last week. Dimitry Tursunov, after starting the match at
1.18, was still being backed at 1.20 when down a set and a break. Prices
were reportedly "influenced by the actions of a single high-rolling
punter". That's one way of putting it!
And just on the weekend, Brazilian weekly
Istoe reported that two of their players have been offered
money to throw matches. Now we can add Flavio Saretta and Marcos Daniel to
the list which already includes the likes of Tursunov, Goldstein, Llodra
and Tipsarevic - at least they are the players with the balls to come
forward. Saretta was offered 100,000 euros to throw a first-round match
at the French Open against Potito Starace last year while Daniel was
offered $20,000 to lose his first round match against Nicholas Massu in
Acapulco.
GENERAL In Brief
18:43
Wednesday 10 October
Tennis leaders bet they can keep sport free of
match-fixing - AP, Wednesday 10th August
Another week and another ATP player comes forward with
match-fixing allegations - this time people take notice when British
number-one Andy Murray generates a few more headlines. ATP boss "ET" now
says he wants "any information about possible threats to the integrity of
tennis". A few years too late for that.
TENNIS Aus Open kicks
out betting shop
15:42
Friday 5 October
As the tennis world braces itself for
another weekend of damning match-fixing allegations in Britain's Sunday
papers, TABCORP has confirmed that Tennis Australia has booted it's TAB
Sportsbet betting outlet from next year's Australian Open.
“Our measures for the Australian Open are designed to ensure that players
and officials are aware of their obligations in maintaining the highest
standards of integrity and player behaviour. We have a zero tolerance
towards players and officials betting on matches,” Tennis Australia Chief
Executive Officer Steve Wood said in a TAB statement.
More
OnThePunt understands that an accredited person was offering
players $50,000 to throw matches at this year's Australian Open. This
comes on top of recent reports of inducements being offered to the likes
Novak Djokovic, Gilles Elseneer, Dick Norman, Arvind Parmar and two
unnamed French players.
ED: The ATP reportedly believe that because a few players have knocked
back these advances, it proves that their players are
beyond reproach. Yeah right - I for one expected all those players who have accepted payments to throw
matches to rush forward and talk to the press. This issue is not going
away in a hurry. OTP has been on the case for year's. We're just waiting
for the transcripts from the investigation in the Davydenko case - now
that should make for interesting reading!
TENNIS More
match-fixing claim surface
01:45
Friday 31 August 2007
More reports of match-fixing in tennis
have surfaced - not even the ATP have a broom big enough to sweep the
latest claims under the carpet. French sports daily L'Equipe have
detailed two anonymous players claims that match-fixing is not uncommon.
"I've seen matches being thrown, and not just in the smaller
tournaments, I've seen one in the Masters for example," one player said.
U.S. Open organisers have given players a
stern warning about getting involved in betting during the year's final
tennis major. The USTA has reportedly set up a hotline for players to
anonymously provide tips about possible gambling policy violations, and
notice's describing the tournament's gambling policy have been plastered
in locker rooms and player lounges.
The notice says the following: "REMINDER: The participation in or aiding
and abetting, directly or indirectly, of any form of gambling or betting
involving tennis is strictly prohibited. The USTA has a zero tolerance
policy on gambling or betting involving tennis, and any violation of
such policy will result in immediate disciplinary action."
TENNIS MATCH FIXING:
GREED BRINGS THEM DOWN
03:08
Saturday 4 August 2007
OPINION
The match-fixing issue in tennis has
finally come to a head. Greed was always going to bring about the
downfall of those involved. The sheer audacity and volume of money
traded on Thursday's match between Davydenko and Vassallo-Arguello was
mind-boggling. I congratulate betting exchange Betfair for voiding all
bets on this match - but it should never have been turned in-play - the
betting pattern was highly suspicious before a ball was struck.
The ATP have swept the match-fixing issue under the carpet for far too
long. An ATP representative even spoke to OnThePunt at one stage
requesting information. It was clear however that this was an issue they
did not want to deal with. But it wasn't going to go away. Acquiring
hard evidence against those responsible is no easy task, but the first
thing the ATP had to understand was how big the issue had become. They
needed to get police involved in several countries.
Suspicious betting patterns emerge on tennis matches for a variety of
reasons. Players might be in need of some rest and find easy appearance
money too hard to knock back, some might have traveled, arrived late and
unprepared at a tournament, or even have a legitimate injury that has
had treatment on-site. All these factors can cause a market to swing.
But it's important to distinguish between these matches and matches that
are blatantly fixed. These are matches where there can only be one
result. Two players know exactly what is going to happen.
Nikolay Davydenko has been involved in match-fixing before. He has
somehow got away with it over the last few years, often conveniently
blaming a dodgy wrist on his suspect retirements. But anyone who
witnessed Thursday's match with Vassallo with the betting patterns in
mind would have come to just one conclusion - the match was a blatant fix.
He made shocking attempts at concealing deliberate errors and his
feigning of a foot injury after winning the first set (thus giving those
involved more opportunity to bet) was laughable. Chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani must have known what was going on.
Most people I've spoken to are assuming that Davydenko is the one
profiting from this. I'm not so sure. It would not surprise me if
threats have been made against Russian where he is given little choice
but to tank his way out of these matches.
Whatever the case, Davydenko should be suspended from the tour
indefinitely. He isn't some unknown journeyman looking to make a few
dollars on the side. We are talking about the number four ranked player
in the world here. But it wont happen. Evidence will be near impossible
to obtain.
OTP Editor
TENNIS Ugly fix has tennis punters on edge
02:27
Saturday 4 August 2007
UPDATED
The sport of tennis has seen its fair
share of suspect matches over the past few years but perhaps none have
been as significant or blatant as today's match between Nikolay
Davydenko and Martin Vassallo Arguello in Poland.
Several hours before the match, world #4 Davydenko was offered at
1.18-1.20 with bookies while his Argentine opponent, ranked #87 was bet
at 5.75. Then in the hour or so before the match, there was an
extraordinary plunge on Vassallo. On betting exchange
Betfair, Vassallo
traded in from 6.00 into 1.51 while Davydenko drifted from 1.11 to 3.00
before a ball was struck on turnover of AUD $1.3 million.
When Davydenko won the first set 6-2, punters could be forgiven for
thinking that the match was indeed not a fix. But Vassallo was still
trading as a 1.65 favourite. When he broke in the first game of the
second set, he went into 1.27 and when serving at 2-1 (still down a set)
Vassallo was matched at 1.06. After wrapping up the second set with a
Davydenko forehand error, Vassallo was out to 1.20.
Davydenko had started to receive assistance from a trainer on his left
foot during the second set and despite getting more attention at the
start of the third, Vassallo's price drifted from 1.20 to 1.35. Finally
with the market settled at 1.10, Davydenko retired at 2-1 on serve in
the 3rd set. Over AUD$8.5 million was traded on the match with Betfair.
The
Betfair forums went into meltdown over the match with the
accusations flying around such as "fixed", "ban Davydenko", "void" and
"ATP disgrace".
One bookmaker spoken to by OnThePunt said that the number of
suspect matches this week meant that they will seriously be considering
not betting tennis anymore.
UPDATE.
Betfair have taken the extraordinary step of
voiding all bets on the match following a crisis meeting on Friday
morning UK-time. They issued the following statement.
"Following consultation with the men’s professional tennis tour, the
ATP, Betfair has decided to void all bets placed on Thursday’s 2nd round
match between Nikolay Davydenko and Martin Vassallo Arguello at the
Orange Prokom Open. Betfair suspended settlement of bets at the
conclusion of the match yesterday because of concerns over irregular
betting patterns. The company has taken this action in the interests of
maintaining integrity and fairness in all our markets."
The sport of professional tennis is set to be
further tarnished as more evidence of suspected match-fixing on the ATP Tour
surfaces.
The latest match that has raised the eyebrows of bookmakers was played between
two good friends - Nikolay Davydenko and Sargis Sargsian - at Gstaad on July 4.
Sargsian was declared the winner of the match when Davydenko sensationally
retired while leading 6-1 1-0. Sargsian started the match as a big underdog at
odds of up to 6.50 (11/2).
More...
TENNIS Plunge goes
astray
00:46
Wednesday 28 February 2007
A massive tennis plunge on a first round
match in Mexico went astray on Tuesday. Argentine Juan Pablo Guzman
drifted from 1.40 to 4.50 on betting exchange
Betfair
while his opponent Kevin Kim was backed from 3.50 into as short at 1.20.
But not all went according to plan for the punters as Guzman romped to a
6-4 6-2 victory. Over half a million dollars was traded on the
relatively obscure first round match.
After countless match-fixing controversies, the ATP appear to have jumped on
the betting bandwagon themselves, this week announcing an online competition
to coincide with next week's Cincinnati Masters tournament.
The competition boasts about "offering fans the chance to become $1 million
richer". The task? Simply "correctly predict winners of all matches in the
64-player singles main draw" of the Cincinnati Masters. Our tip at
OnThePunt is not to spend too much time on your bracket - TennisNews
is reporting that the approximate odds of doing this are around one-in-27 billion.
More match fixing worries at ATP
Published 00:53,
Tuesday 19 July, 2005
ONTHEPUNT EXCLUSIVE
The sport of professional tennis is set to be
further tarnished as more evidence of suspected match-fixing on the ATP Tour
surfaces.
The latest match that has raised the eyebrows of bookmakers was played between
two good friends - Nikolay Davydenko and Sargis Sargsian - at Gstaad on July 4.
Sargsian was declared the winner of the match when Davydenko sensationally
retired while leading 6-1 1-0. Sargsian started the match as a big underdog at
odds of up to 6.50 (11/2).
Davydenko, who just one week later, starred in Russia's Davis Cup quarter-final
win over France, cited a wrist injury for the retirement.
One Europe-based bookmaker became suspect when a €4000 bet was placed on
Sargsian just five minutes before the match was due to start. It is believed
the bookmaker traced the IP address of the betting account to the official
player hotel in Gstaad.
Another bookmaker has refused to payout winning bets on the match, citing a
rarely used rule that protects them "where evidence exists of rigging or some
other act which has unfairly affected the result".
The bookmaker in question has a rule whereby at least one-set of a match must
be completed for bets to stand.
Because of irregularities surrounding previous matches involving Sargisian,
many bookmakers had not offered odds on the match.
The timing of the latest controversy could not have come at a worse time for
red-faced ATP executives who have allowed a tournament in Austria next week to
be sponsored by one of Europe's largest tennis bookmakers.
A recent press release issued by tournament organisers titled, "The Generali
Open has the next occasion to celebrate: betandwin.com is the new
presenting-sponsor", extolled the virtues of being sponsored by the betting
shop which will enable spectators to bet live on their cell phones after each
point.
"BetandWin serves its customers tennis entertainment in its most exciting way
and features all top-matches as live bets. For this reason all viewers at the
court have also the opportunity to tip per mobile after every single rally at
wap.betandwin.com," the release stated.
PREMIER
LEAGUE 09
