LONDON // Nikolay Davydenko was cleared by the ATP after a year-long investigation into suspicious betting patterns on a match he lost to a lowly ranked opponent. The ATP said they found "no evidence" of wrongdoing by Russian Davydenko, Argentine player Martin Vassallo Arguello or anyone else associated with their match in Sopot, Poland, on Aug 2 2007. "The ATP has now exhausted all avenues of enquiry open to it and the investigation is now concluded," said the association. Davydenko, then ranked No 5, pulled out of the match against the 87th-ranked Vassallo Arguello in the third set, citing a foot injury.
Betfair, an online bookmaker, made voide all bets on the match. It received about Dh22.5 million in wagers on the match, 10 times the usual amount for a similar-level match. Most of the money was on Arguello, even after he lost the first set. Davydenko, now ranked No 6, has always firmly denied any wrongdoing and expressed confidence he would be cleared. The ATP said they interviewed: "a number of individuals involved in the match" and reviewed betting account details of those who wagered on the match. They also reviewed phone records from Davydenko, Arguello and members of their support personnel. However, "certain individuals" declined to provide phone records, the ATP said.
After lengthy legal proceedings, some records were eventually turned over but they had been "destroyed" by telephone companies in line with data protection laws, said the ATP. Speaking at Wimbledon this year, Davydenko said Russian spectators might have overheard him talking to his wife and entourage in the stands at the Sopot tournament. "Everything was going on. I spoke in the center court with my wife ... [in] Russian," he said. "Maybe it's possible, if I can say something, 'I don't want to play or I can retire.' ... some people can understand."
That sort of inside information could have sparked the flood of telephone or internet betting. Leading betting agencies last year presented world tennis authorities with a dossier of matches involving irregular gambling patterns over the last five years. An independent review commissioned by tennis' governing bodies identified 45 matches that merited a closer look, including eight at Wimbledon. The ATP have approved a list of 15 recommendations from an independent review panel to combat potential for corruption in the sport.
Last month, the Frenchman Mathieu Montcourt was banned from the tour for two months and fined Dh44,000 after being found guilty of betting on matches. Under new guidelines, players are required to report any suspicious contact from gambling syndicates within 48 hours. Sanctions include life bans for players found guilty of match fixing. * AP
