22 January,2011 07:12 AM IST | | AFP
Swiss tennis great Roger Federer Friday warned players not to get involved in match-fixing, as Italian media reported a new investigation.
Roger Federer
The world number two said match-fixers angered him as much as dope cheats, as they threatened the sport's integrity and could turn off fans.
"I think it's just unacceptable when athletes, players, whatever yoau want to call it, try to do things like this or play with the integrity of the sport.u00a0 I don't know if I get more angry or disappointed. It's just a pity to a game that has given us everything.
Why would you want to play with that," said defending champion Federer, who beat Belgian Xavier Malisseu00a0 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 for his record 57th win at Melbourne Park equalling Stefan Edberg's record for the most Australian Open victories in the Open Era. "It's nice (record) but Edberg is still my idol," Federer told the crowd at Rod Laver Arena.
Further on the fixing saga, the Swiss said: "You're not only taking a chance for yourself, but for many other players to harm the sport. That's why it's disappointing to hear these things.
However, Federer said he had not read an unsourced report by Italy's www.ubitennis.com website that claimed tennis chiefs were investigating irregular betting patterns surrounding a match in St Petersburg in October.
In 2008, Russia's Nikolay Davydenko was cleared after a lengthy probe into unusual betting on a match he played in Poland.
