A bit of a copout. Somehow I don't think this is the match the ATP is really upset about. If you think he's in bed with gamblers, charge him with that. If not...this is kind of silly.
Then again, I didn't see the match.
From Reuters: Davydenko says warning for not trying 'outrageous'
World No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko has been fined $2,000 for not trying hard enough during his upset loss to Croatian qualifier Marin Cilic at the St. Petersburg Open on Thursday...
The top seed played near-flawless tennis in the first set against the 102nd-ranked Cilic but then started making numerous errors and committed 10 double faults in the last two sets. Cilic won 1-6, 7-5, 6-1.
He was warned by Belgian umpire Jean-Philippe Dercq in the final set for not trying hard enough.
"I double-faulted to lose a game in the third set and he gave me a warning saying I was trying to lose on purpose," Davydenko told reporters after the match.
"I was simply shocked to hear him say that. This is just outrageous. How does he know what I was trying to do? I was so upset with the whole thing I started crying."
m
I do the fine was over the top, but the ump's decision may have been influenced by the gambling/match fixing controversy that surrounded one of his matches earlier in the year.
In other news do you think that Sampras will be able to win on of the matches (or a set) from Federer in the upcoming exhibition matches? I won't be able to watch the matches live because i don't have the tennis channel but they'll have streaming video of the match on their site. http://www.thetennischannel.com/federer_sampras/
Posted by: Jordan Hughes | November 13, 2007 at 11:25 AM