By DPA
New York : Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) boss Etienne de Villiers has defended the delay in questioning Russian player Nikolay Davydenko on charges of match fixing.
“He will be interviewed when the investigative body feels it is the right time to investigate,” said De Villiers.
“These are very experienced investigators who feel they need to have as much information as they need before they go and interview somebody.”
The ATP, assisted by British horse racing authorities, launched its investigation after online betting on a second-round July contest in Poland was halted due to a flood of $7 million to Martin Vassallo-Arguello, the eventual winner over Davydenko.
The Russian quit in the third set with a foot injury.
Online betting agency Betfair, which has collaborated with the ATP on suspicious match matters since 2003, refused to pay out on the match, citing money flowing at 10 times the normal amount.
Davydenko said this week at the US Open that he is not expected to sit down with investigators until mid-September at the earliest due to his playing schedule.
De Villiers brushed off implied criticism that the men’s worldwide sanctioning body was late to the party on possible match fixing.
“We recognised a long, long time ago that online gambling was a threat to the integrity, not just of tennis but of all sport, and we have put in stringent procedures,” he said.
“We take this ridiculously importantly and seriously. That’s the first thing you have to understand. We’re not complacent.
“We never stopped pursuing every potential and possible avenue to preserve the integrity of our sport. We have programmes. They are rigorous. We have severe penalties.
“We can fine a player up to $100,000 for transgressing the code and (impose) a maximum lifetime ban,” he said.
De Villiers promised “zero tolerance”. “This is not something that we in tennis will condone.”
He added that despite rumour and hearsay around the locker-room, nothing had been proven.
“We don’t believe there is a corruption problem in the sport. But the reason we got the horse-racing authority involved and have hired two former Scotland Yard investigators to look into this one, is because we got the information real quick.”