Nikolay Davydenko is confident he will be cleared when the ATP announce the findings of their investigation into match-fixing next month.
World number four expects to be cleared over match-fixing
Nikolay Davydenko says he is confident of being cleared when the ATP announce the findings of a long-running investigation into match-fixing next month.
The Russian fourth seed, beaten by Benjamin Becker in his first round match at Wimbledon on Tuesday, insists he has nothing to be worried about despite finding himself at the centre of the allegations.
Davydenko has been under scrutiny since playing Argentinian Martin Vassallo Arguello, then ranked 87 in the world, in a match that sparked a worldwide betting scandal.
Betfair were alerted to suspicious betting patterns and decided to void more than £3.5million in bets after Davydenko became a heavy underdog, despite appearing an overwhelming favourite on paper.
The 27-year-old, who withdrew from the contest in Sopot with a foot injury, has criticised the length of the ATP's investigation but has been told the ordeal will soon be over.
Bad dream
"This has been a bad dream, not for one day but for months. But I have still been able to play and that has made me happy," he said.
"I have been told by my lawyer that this should be decided in July. This has taken so long - nearly one year.
"Nobody can prove anything. My lawyer has been waiting one year but there is no proof.
"I'm confident the ATP will find no proof. I've already played one year. If they decided to investigate for another year, I'll still be playing."
Tennis authorities are determined to crack down on match-fixing with eight matches at Wimbledon among those being examined, but Davydenko denies any knowledge of corruption.
"I think there is no match fixing in tennis. As individuals and top players, why would we play fixed matches?" he said.
Reports state nine Betfair account holders based in Russia stood to make more than £750,000 if Davydenko lost to Arguello, who had never won an ATP event.
The volume of betting on such an obscure match forced Betfair to act, but Davydenko has his own theory to explain the irregularities.
"Maybe it was because I'm Russian and we were playing in Sopot. It's a very small tournament," he said.
"We were playing on centre court and there were many Russians watching the match.
"My wife was there and maybe I spoke to her in Russian, maybe saying something like I don't want to play or that I need to retire.
"Maybe some people on the court heard what I was saying. Perhaps I should have stayed quiet and concentrated on the match."
