ATP calls off Davydenko probe after 13 months of frustration

Sep 12, 2008, 14:25 GMT

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida - Nikolay Davydenko was released on Friday from a state of limbo lasting 13 months after the ATP said it could find no evidence to support claims the Russian played in a fixed match.

'The ATP can confirm today that it has concluded its investigation and found no evidence of a violation of its rules,' read a statement from the sanctioning body, currently in flux as chief executive Etienne de Villiers prepares to step down under pressure at the end of the year.

Russia's Davydenko, ranked sixth, lost a match in Sopot, Poland in August, 2007, against Argentine Martin Vassallo-Arguello which attracted massive online bets in excess of seven million dollars.

The ATP initiated a probe but now admits that it could find nothing miss with the contest.

'A fundamental role of the ATP is to ensure that men's professional tennis continues to be free of corruption,' read the statement.

'For this reason, the ATP instigated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the match in Sopot between Mr. Vassallo Arguello and Mr. Davydenko on 2nd August 2007.'

As part of an initiative from de Villiers, a former Disney executive with no tennis background, the ATP called in special investigators from Scotland Yard in hopes of getting to the bottom of what the body considered a suspicious match.

But despite massive sums of money and months of probing, the investigation came up empty. Included in the study were telephone records from the players and others, a point of contention for months.

'The ATP has now exhausted all avenues of enquiry open to it and the investigation is now concluded,' the body said.

Davydenko's results have fallen off in recent months as the 27-year-old admitted that he was feeling the strain of uncertainty about his future.

In a related development, five Italian players suspended and fined by the ATP for betting on matches have said they plan to sue in an American court.