Match-fixing suspicions continue to plague the tennis world. If so far the reported cases have affected semi-unknown players in challenger circuit tournaments, in this case those affected are elite players on the ATP circuit.
These are two tennis players who are currently among the top 40 in the rankings, and at one point in their careers were very close to the Top 10. We are talking about Nikoloz Basilashvili (25th) and Aslan Karatev (40th) who, according to an investigation by German television ZDF, was involved in match-fixing Through the two’s former coach, Yahor Yatysk, who will offer them money in exchange for losing at least two games each.
According to published information, Karatsev, who became number 14 in the world in February of this year, was allowed to win a double match at the Stuttgart tournament in 2021.
Along with Israeli Jonathan Erlich they fell 6-4 and 6-0 against Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov in a match that saw “known high stakes in defeat.”
Investigations have also put the spotlight on the 2021 Wimbledon first-round doubles match between Basilashvili.number 16 in May 2019, and Albot along with the Fucsovics and Travaglia, which resulted in wins at 3-6, 6-2 and 6-2. Again, “very high stakes on the defeat of Basilashvili and Albot” were registered during the match, i.e., half a million US dollars ”.
These are the last suspicious parties, but the chain ZDF has access to five alleged match-fixing cases involving Karatsev: one doubles in a tournament in Finland 2019 and one doubles in Kazakhstan 2020, both from the Challenger Tour, before the Russian jumped into the elite of the ATP circuit.
The modus operandi of Yahor Yatysk the next, according to another coach who spoke to the German public broadcaster in exchange for anonymity.
“He was around the circuit looking for young players with financial or mental problems. Who is easily convinced of money (…) Yatsyk worked closely with both players and watched them for years. They are both incredibly talented players. But they had financial problems in the beginning and also important stages of weakness and fell into the classification. He reached out to them at every critical moment in their careers. “
Karatsev and Yatsyk worked together between 2018 and 2021while Basilashvili has traveled with the Belarusian coach for almost two years since 2013.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
