Former Davis Cup captain Vijay Amritraj on Saturday rubbished talks of match fixing in tennis.
CHENNAI: Former Davis Cup captain Vijay Amritraj on Saturday rubbished talks of match fixing in tennis.
Talking during the draw of the Chennai Open ATP Tennis Championship here this evening, he said 'people are making a mountain of a mole hill'.
"Frankly, you cannot say that anyone had thrown a match under any circumstances because the golden standard for us will be the ATP computer. Because a point to win a match is so vital and not easy," he said.
He categorically said that "talking about match fixing in tennis is completely obscene in my opinion, simply because our sport is not a non-seasonal sport and is played throughout the year and the computer exists all through the years."
Saying that the ATP Computer is the golden standard for players, he said "no amount of money or talking will change that. I have said it before and say it again that in my opinion talk of match fixing in tennis is completely wrong and rubbish."
Meanwhile, Fernando Soler, tournament director for the Chennai Open, said three Italians have been banned and fined according to ATP rules.
Fernando Soler said 'they have been banned as per rules. If a player bets on the match of other players, it is not match fixing in tennis. Efforts are being taken to keep the rumours as rumours in respect of match fixing.
Elaborating his point of view on the match fixing issues, Amirtraj said 'in my opinion we are and we will always be pretty clean. No body can take away the fact that the players all along have been winning the matches on their merit. That is what the ATP computer tells us.
On the proposal of organisers of the Australian Open and the Victoria Police to keep a vigil on the players activity during the event from January 14, he said 'ATP reports to ITF and Grand Slam orgainisers and discuss matters in order to make our sport what it is suppose to be and clean'.
"When the players get on court it is because of their excellence and how good you are and how fit you are. That is it. I feel very strongly about the fact that the game has got so much better and more kids are taking to the game. There are more encouragement and more sponsors are coming in to support the game. Really, everything else would mean nothing", he said.
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