Sergiy Stakhovsky reveals he Was Offered Money to Lose a match at the Australian Open

Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky has revealed that he was offered money to lose his first round match at the 2009 Australian Open against Frenchman Arnaud Clement.

In an interview to Ukrainian television, the former Top 40 player says, “When I was at the Australian Open, I was offered 100 thousand dollars that I lost in the first round Arnaud Clement. There was two of them and they are backed by “investors”. I ended up losing the match after leading two sets to one. Leaving the court, I think that if he was standing there, I would have just hit him with my racket."

Stakhovsky says he also discussed the same with the Tennis Integrity Unit, which was just set up at that time. "After the match I went to TIU (the Tennis Integrity Unit) and they asked who it was. I said, “Wait, are you ready to protect my family? Because he is a pawn, the people behind it – are dangerous, and my whole family is in Ukraine. They said they can’t guarantee anything."

Clement won the match 6-3, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Stakhovsky is best known for beating eight-time winner and defending champion Roger Federer in the 2nd round of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships ending the Swiss legend's record run of 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals and reached the Top 40 in singles and doubles.

He also recently sent a message out to Tesla CEO Elon Musk asking him to help Ukraine with medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3eeCquF