But the outspoken star-turned-TV-analyst also feels concerns over tainted outcomes due to gambling are part of a larger issue that all sports are facing.
”I think it’s a far bigger problem in other sports to be honest,” McEnroe said in an interview Friday. ”There’s people betting incredible amounts of money on football games and baseball way more than tennis matches. You’d think there are a lot more people out there who would try to influence players into doing something because there’s a lot more at stake.
”I just think the betting thing has gotten out of hand in general,” added McEnroe who is slated to play an exhibition match with Mats Wilander on Nov. 4 at Casino Rama outside Orillia. Ont. ”These stupid fantasy leagues people betting so they’d have an interest in a team they’d had absolutely no interest in otherwise it’s just gotten totally out of hand.”
McEnroe’s comments came shortly after the ATP issued a US$2,000 fine to Davydenko the world No. 4 for a ”lack of best effort” in Thursday’s 1-6. 7-5. 6-1 loss at the St. Petersburg Open to Croat Marian Cilic who is ranked 102nd.
The top-seeded Davydenko won the first set in 27 minutes but drew a rebuke from chair umpire Jean-Philippe Dercq for his play in the third set. Davydenko complained about a problem in his legs after the match. McEnroe says such warnings from umpires are rare but not unusual as players wear down from the grind of a demanding season.
”I’ve heard that a couple of times the umpires have said to a player he’s tanking,” said McEnroe. ”Now this is an added dilemma because of what happened this summer with him. Usually if you’re at the 35th week out of 40 or 45 you’re so burned out maybe you shouldn’t be playing the tournament in the first place. ..
The ATP had previously spoken to Davydenko as part of its investigation into an August match he played in Poland that prompted online gambling site Betfair to void wagers because of irregular betting patterns. After winning the first set of that match 6-1. Davydenko withdrew against 87th-ranked Martin Vassallo Arguello in the third set because of a foot injury.
Now. McEnroe acknowledges all of the Russian’s actions on the court will be viewed through that frame with any injury instantly coming into question.
”You want to feel that guys are going out there and playing,” he said. ”And unfortunately with Davydenko either way you look at it it’s bad.”
McEnroe promises fans who watch his coming exhibition match with Wilander will have no questions about the on-court effort. At 48. McEnroe is intent on proving that he can still put on a show both with his game and his infamous temper.
”Basically yeah,” he said sheepishly. ”These people usually try to put it in my contract. In the old days I got fined if I yelled at an umpire now I get fined if I don’t. It’s sort of sad in a way. ..
”I like to go out there with the idea that I can play at a high level for a certain period of time. I take pride in trying to do that especially when I’m going to play a match somewhere I may never play again and never played before.”
Bjorn Borg. Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors were McEnroe’s chief rivals during his stellar career with Wilander a notch below. In 13 matches at Grand Slam events and Davis Cup ties. McEnroe holds a 7-6 edge over the now 43-year-old Swede.
One epic meeting between them came during the deciding match of a Davis Cup quarter-final in 1982 which the American won 9-7. 6-2. 15-17. 3-6. 8-6. It’s a match McEnroe still remembers vividly.
”I played two matches in excess of six hours that one with Mats and another with Boris Becker,” he recalled. ”We ended up winning the Davis Cup so that turned out to be a pivotal match. I got in a winning position and then let it slip away and then it just became this uphill battle in a seemingly never-ending match.
”It was amazing that after almost 6½ hours I pulled it out not feeling all that fresh for the next couple of days after that. We were both pretty young at the time and it was probably one of if not our most memorable match.”
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