Novak Djokovic Discusses When He Was Once Offered $200,000 To Fix A Match!

by Tom Gainey | January 18th, 2016, 7:53 am
  • 28 Comments

With the match-fixing scandal sweeping day one at the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic was asked to detail an incident in 2007 when his team was approached to throw a match in St. Petersburg for $200,000.

“I was approached through people that were working with me at that time, that were with my team. Of course, we threw it away right away,” Djokovic said. “It didn’t even get to me, the guy that was trying to talk to me, he didn’t even get to me directly. There was nothing out of it.

“Unfortunately there were some, in those times, those days, rumors, some talks, some people were going around. They were dealt with. In the last six, seven years, I haven’t heard anything similar.


“I personally was never approached directly, so I have nothing more to say about that.”

Djokovic went added that he didn’t give the BBC report much credence, but he wants tennis to remain vigilant in squashing any corruption.

“Of course, there is no room for any match fixing or corruption in our sport. We’re trying to keep it as clean as possible. We have, I think, a sport evolved and upgraded our programs and authorities to deal with these particular cases.

“I don’t think the shadow is cast over our sport. In contrary, people are talking about names, guessing who these players are, guessing those names. But there’s no real proof or evidence yet of any active players, for that matter. As long as it’s like that, it’s just speculation. So I think we have to keep it that way.”

The 5-time Australian Open champion Djokovic won today over Hyeon Chung.


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28 Comments for Novak Djokovic Discusses When He Was Once Offered $200,000 To Fix A Match!

sienna Says:

Camp Djokovic trying to defuse this potential career killer.

Djokers name probably on that list…..

Later they blame it on the parents for obvious reasons.


jane Says:

this is such old news. novak has mentioned this incident in the past, back when davy was playing and was accused of throwing a match or not trying or whatever.


Django Says:

Thank you sienna for your insight.


skeezer Says:

This is funny. Like Nole, Fed and Serena ( all whom the media have asked ) would take $ to throw a match? Why? They have all the money they could ever need.
I could see potentially some lower ranked players being tempted to throw matches for money. But like Fed said either bring up facts or it’s a non story.


Margot Says:

Skeeze, I’m sure its happened on the challenger circuit, without checking I think players got banned.


Django Says:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2170948/Wimbledon-inquiry-into-fixed-match-ordered.html

From 2008— for sienna
Nole camp trying to diffuse in 2016 what they already diffused in 2008.
Lmao


sienna Says:

its all politics from team Djokovic.
trying to blow smoke because he is on the list.
I know he already mentioned this, so why the statement?
He is on the list with a trackrecord for matchfixing.
Wow thiswill come out after Au open.


Margot Says:

There’s a list out via that new master of the universe, twitter, and it makes shocking reading.


Okiegal Says:

@Skeezer 11:50
Margot 11:54

I agree whole heartedly!
The top guys are already filthy rich!!


Okiegal Says:

@TV 1:27

I am gonna google that right now. I guarantee ther will be something about it! Love me some google……


J-Kath Says:

Welcome back Sienna…..maybe we are in need of you.


sienna Says:

off course the big Serb himself is not on that list. But all his DC friends are. Go figure.


mat4 Says:

Here are the lists I found:

“black list

Philipp Kohlschreiber
Potito Starace
Andreas Seppi
Fabio Fognini
Janko Tipsarevic
Michael Llodra
Nikolay Davydenko
Teymuraz Gabashvili
Victor Crivoi
Christophe Rochus
Oscar Hernandez
Yevgeny Korolev
Filippo Volandri
Wayne Odesnik
Victoria Azarenka
Agnieszka Radwanska
Francesca Schiavone
Sara Errani
Maria Kirilenko
Kateryna Bondarenko

… And 21 on the warning list: Brian Dabul, Eduardo Scwhank, Jeremy Chardy, Simone Bolelli, Lukasz Kubot, Carlos Berlocq, Igor Kunitsyn, Andrey Golubev, Alex Bogomolov, Somdev Devvar-husband, Steve Darcis, Marin Cilic, Flavio Cipolla, Ivo Karlovic, Viktor Troicki, Flavia Pennetta, Roberta Vinci, Virginie Razzano, Romina Oprandi, Dominika Cibulkova, Eleni Daniilidou. Participating in this year’s Stockholm Open.”

http://www.svd.se/41-tennisnamn-pa-svarta-listan_6563265


Wog Boy Says:

Pothead from the land of tulips and city of Amsterdam is back from rehab, the brain damage couldn’t be reversed, obviously.


mat4 Says:

It’s a google translation, so read Somdev Devvarman instead of Somdev Devvar-husband…


mat4 Says:

Hi, WB.

What’s your take? Why this list now? We all know that the TIU can’t publish data without proofs. Why all those accusations suddenly?


Wog Boy Says:

Hi mat4,

I haven’t seen your question, I partly just answered on the other thread, somebody let the stinker out purposely and without any facts too, forget about AO, it has been thrown in the second plan and there it will stay for another two weeks.


MMT Says:

I don’t believe Djokovic would do such a thing now…however, i would like to point out something that does not enter the discussion: Djokovic mentioned that someone in his entourage had been approached, and that the offer had been brought to his attention and he dismissed it…but one has to wonder why someone in his team is bringing him such and offer in the first place. I’ve always felt the concept of team tennis is a bad idea for the player, but his is a whole new layer of bad that I hadn’t contemplated, but is a natural consequence of a team of 1+many (sycophants). Perhaps it was someone who as accustomed to that sort of thing, even if a young Djokovic (who had only made about a $500K on tour that year and had a entourage to support) did not.

As I said, I don’t think this is something that he would do, but even the approach that he describes reveals something unsettling about the state of match-fixing in tennis. I have a feeling that this is going to end badly for a few people before it’s over. Davydenko was “exonerated”, for which I myself vociferously defended him at the time, but it turns out that not only was an enormous amount of information about his opponent extracted that should have merited an absolute crackdown on Vassello-Arguello, but apparently the tour was only too quick to put the whole thing to bed when the narrow scope of the investigation revealed little in the way of evidence.

This doesn’t look good, and eventually some big names are going to have to go down and go down hard for tennis to put this to bed.


jane Says:

mmt, but of course someone in his team would tell him if they’d been approached. they’re a close knit bunch, just like murray’s team or any other team (i.e., physio, PR, coach). vajda is like a second father, for example. it doesn’t mean whomever was approached was saying to novak, “should we do this?” they were could’ve just been saying “someone approached us with this, can you believe it?!”

novak was number 3 in the world in 2007 and on his way up, fighting to make a name for himself. his performance at montreal beating roddick, rafa and then fed back-to-back, reaching his first final at the us open, etc., all suggest his great competitive desire. i am sure his team would’ve felt the exact same.

b.t.w., novak has spoken about this long before now; i think i recall him talking about it back when there accusations against davyenko.


danica Says:

Tipsarevic also talked about that long ago, how he (or his team, can’t remember now) was approached. He refused the offer straight away.

Nole never hid this and was always open – this is something that happened but it had nothing to do with him. He was too smart to endanger his career. After all he went through to become a rising star in 2007, the last thing in the world he would do would be match fixing. He refused the British citizenship and promises for better opportunities for God’s sake. It is just not in Nole’s blood. Or in the ones of his DC teammates for that matter.


sienna Says:

why would he start tokking bout it?
The low lives should talk about it. They should adress the issue. If money was exchanged the lowlifes should answer questions.


sienna Says:

I mean not Djokovic but others…


sienna Says:

If it is true whats said on twitter then they should be inquiry. heartcondition or not….


sienna Says:

MOBSTERS


Giles Says:

Why was joker approached in the first place? Unless they thought he was capable of taking a bribe?


MMT Says:

jane, you’re right – he did bring it up years ago, when the Davydenko thing came about – but the approach was in 2006, and as I mentioned, if he had taken the bait (which I don’t believe he did or would have) he would have stood to make half as much as he’d made in prize money that year.

If I were in his entourage, I wouldn’t have even brought it up – plausible deniability in cased your asked about it later, and no sense burdening a tired, 18-year old kid (who is supporting an entourage with wives and children to look after) with the decision not to take the money and run. After all, he didn’t play St. Petersburg (probably due to injury). How hard would it have been for him to go out with a real injury and retire after 20 minutes for a $200K pay day?

This means that far from just investigating the player, you’d have to look at the entourage as well. Say someone in your “team” knows you have an injury and you’re just going to a tournament to collect an appearance fee and bugger off to the Bahamas – unbeknowst to the player, that “team” member give a call to someone who knows someone who places some bets and it all looks above the board…but it isn’t.

That’s why I think this is going to get ugly. They tried to pretend that they had dealt with Davydenko and found nothing to go on, but this is a layer cake rife for someone without scruples to get himself a payday on the side.

I think this gets worse before it gets better. Eventually some people are going to banned, and some titles are going to be stripped in order to make real what they tried to feign 8 years ago with Davydenko.

Hold on…


Django Says:

They talk about grand slam winners.
Aren’t cilic and Schiavone on the list?

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