Davydenko upset by ATP treatment

Davydenko is upset by the way ATP is treating him regarding the match fixing allegations.

From BBC:

Nikolay Davydenko is unhappy with the way the governing body of men’s tennis is handling the investigation into possible match fixing, says his lawyer.

The Russian refuses to hand his phone records to an investigation of a match featuring irregular betting patterns.

“If you want somebody’s co-operation you talk to him,” said Frank Immengal.

“You don’t just send him a request for something while he’s playing the US Open. At that point you have to expect that he’s not going to co-operate.”

Immengal told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek: “An organisation like the ATP, which is responsible for its players, cannot go on like that.”

Online betting exchange Betfair voided bets on a match in Poland in August between Davydenko and the 87th-ranked Argentine Martin Vassallo Arguello.

Davydenko retired injured in the third set, and it has since emerged that nine people based in Russia had bet US$1.5m on him losing.

Former Scotland Yard detectives working on the ATP investigation have this week interviewed Davydenko and members of his family, asking for all of his telephone records.

And despite directing his client to refuse, Immengal has revealed that Davydenko will have to hand over the records eventually.

“I know that my client is truly innocent so I already know that they will reveal nothing,” he said.

“We have seen this before and it is only a formality. We both know they have to sign the ATP code for players and they have to hand out telephone records.”

More controversy followed for Davydenko at the St Petersburg Open on 26 October when he was fined $2,000 for not trying hard enough against Marin Cilic.

And at the Paris Masters on 1 November the world number four was told by umpire Cedric Mourier to “try your best” after the official questioned why he was serving so many double faults against Marcos Baghdatis.

Immengal said: “I would really like to have an explanation for that and I have already sent two letters to the ATP asking them to come out with a statement (on) what they think about what has happened.

“For me it’s unbelievable – it’s so unfair,” he said, before adding: “I believe it’s a coincidence, yes.”

Speaking in Shanghai on Saturday ahead of the Masters Cup, Davydenko said: “I’m very angry.

“If you read something in the press, it’s bad news. People ask me: true or not? It can bother you.”

Masters Cup Day-1 Report

The “Qi Zhong” stadium hosted two round-robin matches from the gold group today. The opening match, Nadal vs. Gasquet, was pretty entertaining. Gasquet played will in the start… but, couldn’t keep it going. His mental collapse in the second and third sets handed Nadal a difficult three set win. In the second match, Ferrer posted and upset by defeating Djokovic in straights, 6-4 6-4. It was pretty evident from the match that Djokovic is completely exhausted from the long long season.

Full report (source: Fox Sports)…

SHANGHAI, China (AP) – Second-ranked Rafael Nadal overcame a sluggish start to beat Richard Gasquet 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Sunday in the opening match of the season-ending Masters Cup.

Third-ranked Novak Djokovic was broken in the first game and never recovered, falling to No. 6 David Ferrer of Spain 6-4, 6-4 in the other Gold Group round-robin match. The tournament features the top eight men’s singles players and doubles pairs.Nadal looked uncharacteristically slow and subdued as eighth-ranked Gasquet fended off an early break point, then broke Nadal as he served at 3-4 in the first set. Nadal fell behind 0-40, won the next two points, then Gasquet sent a stinging forehand winner down the line. The Frenchman finished off the set with a pair of service winners.

Even though both of his knees were taped, Nadal claimed he was feeling “perfect,” but said he was a little nervous at the start in the season-ending Masters Cup.

“Every match is very difficult because you play only against the best,” he said. “So I start the match with, well, little bit doubts. But later I play a little bit more aggressive. I finish much better than I start.”

In the second set, Gasquet shanked an overhead into the net on game point while serving at 1-2. Nadal rallied to break when Gasquet tried a drop shot that fell well wide. Nadal was suddenly fired up, pumping his fists while tracking down the Frenchman’s array of groundstrokes, volleys and spins.

Gasquet’s serve, so strong in the first set, let him down, too. He got only 53 percent of his first serves in during the second set, and Nadal picked on Gasquet’s second serves, winning 10 of 13.

“It was important to serve well against Rafa,” said Gasquet, who claimed his spot here by moving five spots after reaching the Paris semifinals last week. “My strategy was to go to the net every time … because if you play at the baseline with him, with a lot of long shots, it’s really hard.”

Gasquet, whose record fell to 0-4 against Nadal, broke back in the next game. But Nadal broke again to pull ahead 4-2 and held serve to finish off the set.

With unforced errors piling up, Gasquet served at 30-30 at 2-2 in the final set. He thought he had an ace, challenged the out call and lost, then double-faulted. He saved one break point, but back-to-back forehand errors handed Nadal the last break he needed.

After the Spaniard cracked a clean winner on match point, he leaned back and shouted, his fists clenched.

Ferrer never let up after getting the early break against the 20-year-old Djokovic, who won five ATP titles this year and reached his first Grand Slam final, losing in the U.S. Open to top-ranked Roger Federer.

“It wasn’t my day,” Djokovic said. “He proved that he’s a great player and absolutely he deserved to win.”

Ferrer never gave Djokovic an opening in the first set, broke the Serb for a 5-4 lead in the second and fended a break point while serving for the match. It ended when a Djokovic forehand hit the tape and ricocheted well wide.

“I play with confidence all the match,” Ferrer said. “I played really, really good.”

Federer, the defending champion, and the rest of the Red Group open play Monday at 15,000-seat Qi Zhong Tennis Stadium.