Djokovic asks for proof over match fixing allegations

I think its just absurd, ” Djokovic said.

The match riggers never spoke to Djokovic directly and they were rebuffed by his team members.

Murray said he felt sorry for innocent players being accused of match-fixing but believes more accountability is the only way to root out corruption.

Facing the allegations Santoro yesterday, the world No1 was calm in his responses and clear and precise as he maintained his innocence. When Djokovic was further asked to elaborate on the circumstances of the match, he replied: “I’ve lost that match”. “I think that certain media is just trying to create a story out of it without any proofs”.

“I think it’s not supported by any kind of proof, any evidence, any facts”.

Djokovic, however, insisted he is not aware of any match-fixing at the top level of the game. Since then, the reports said, the ATP has repeatedly been warned by bookmakers, foreign police and other investigators about numerous same players, but hasn’t taken any action against them.

Back in October 2007, Djokovic had already qualified for the season-ending Masters Cup competition in Shanghai.

“What it is to say?” he said when told he had been accused of deliberately losing.

When asked whether paying lower-ranked professionals more might combat the threat, Federer responded to the journalist: “I completely disagree with you”. “When I’m playing, I can only answer for me, I play very hard, and every player I play seems to play hard”. He said at the time that he wasn’t fully fit and was taking medication after having wisdom teeth removed earlier in the month. At the time, he put his loss down to his physical state following the surgery. I only started practising two days ago. “I think throwing my name out there with it makes the whole thing an absolute farce”.

Djokovic added: “It made me feel awful because I don’t want to be in any way linked to this – somebody may call it an opportunity”.

The women’s WTA Tour and the worldwide ITF signed onto the statement, in which they said the associations “absolutely reject any suggestion that evidence of match fixing has been suppressed for any reason”. “An alert about suspicious betting patterns doesn’t mean that match fixing is necessarily happening”.

After Fernando Verdasco on Tuesday, Wednesday night brought the turn of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

“But there’s always a danger, you know”.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga went to the aid of a ball girl in his match, gently helping her off the court in the third set when she became ill before finishing off a 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 win over Omar Jasika.

Bosnian qualifier Mirza Basic was swept aside by Berdych, who will now play Nick Kyrgios next, whilst Nishikori overcame America’s Austin Krajieck to set up a third round encounter with Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

On court, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer also advanced into the third round, but two- time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was sent packing by Australian giant-killer Daria Gavrilova 6-4, 6-4.