Davydenko not worried about betting probe

MIAMI: Nikolay Davydenko said on Sunday he did not worry about the ATP probe into irregular betting patterns on a match he played in Poland last year.

Russia's world No 4 added that he only thought about the clash with Argentine Martin Vassallo Arguello at the Sopot tournament last July when reporters asked questions.

"It's not on my mind every day," said Davydenko, after posting a swift 6-4, 6-2 win over world No 2 Rafael Nadal in the Sony Ericsson Open final on Sunday.

"I go from here, from the press, and I forget already because for me it's not now important. I don't think about the investigation. It should be my lawyer thinking and my manager."

There was heavy gambling on the match on Betfair, a British online betting company, for Davydenko to lose. He won the first set but retired with an injury in the third set.

Betfair voided all bets on the match and reported it to the ATP, which has asked the two players for mobile phone records.

Both men have denied any involvement in betting.

Davydenko was in the spotlight after that match but although he has been rated among the top five in the world for the past three years, he is not a household name among tennis fans.

More fans

Asked whether he felt winning in Miami, the biggest tournament in the United States after the US Open, would increase his popularity, Davydenko laughed.

"To be famous? Here?" he said. "To be famous really in tennis you need to win a Grand Slam or Masters Series, but not one, like a few or maybe every one.

"I would say if I would like to be famous I need to win tournaments here and to play very good tennis and to beat the No 1 and No 2 in the world. Then I would have more fans."

Davydenko has reached four Grand Slam semifinals - at the 2005 and 2007 French Open plus the 2006 and 2007 US Opens - and also won a Masters Series event at Paris in 2006.

The Russian finally secured his first win in three matches against Nadal on Sunday to win his 12th career title in Miami.

However, he trails Swiss world No 1 Roger Federer 11-0 in career meetings and has a 1-0 record over Serbian world No 3 Novak Djokovic.

But in Davydenko's mind, being the fourth best in the world and not a marquee name can be an advantage.

"I didn't play on center court at the beginning of the tournament because we have here (Andy) Roddick, (James) Blake, Americans because we're in America, and Federer, Nadal, Djokovic," he said.

"It's good. For the beginning of the tournament I don't want to play on center court."

Agencies

(China Daily 04/08/2008 page24)