Sorry folks but Johan has not followed this story so I'm posting my observations here :

This was the link to original story :

http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/7041960/serbian-david-savic- banned-fined-100k-match-fixing

Here's today's story :

http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/7057796/banned-serbian-david -savic-denies-tennis-match-fixing

This doesn't add up and I love conspiracy theories. First of all this guy has career earnings of only $86,000 and they've fined him $100,000. Why did Serena only get a $2000 fine ?(albeit the offence is not in the same category as what is alleged here)

Second, this guy is ranked 659 and only plays Challengers as far as I can tell. I guess people bet on Challenger events too.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Sa/D/David-Savic.as px?t=pa

He claims that's he's a scapegoat which is reasonable since they always pick on the lower ranked players like Kendrick and Odesnik. He also claims to have been set up by a current top player who he was friends with in juniors and hasn't talked to in the past 11 years. Anybody have an idea who this could be? It can't be Nole because it says they have been friends that actually talk, hang out,etc. He hasn't played any top players as he only plays Challengers. Any of the Serbians can give an opinion on this? I'm not condemning the guy here. I happen to think he is a scapegoat and feel sorry for the guy.

I don't have some answers for you.... but on some sites I saw lot of ppl (who claims) that they know him and his family... well everyone say that he is honest guy... and how the hell one player ranked like he can fix some big matches? 100K dollars ???
We will see... it would be nice if the name of top player come out...
Not to much info I am afraid... but I have never heard about this guy.
... and for player 659 ranked... what is top player? Top 4... or top 50 ???

Thanks zare,

A lot here doesn't add up. I looked at the list of players he's played this year and I didn't recognize any of them. I also saw it says he's only made a little over $4000 this year. A $100,000 fine is unbelievable. I can't see why TT doesn't see this as news as there is no article on it yet.

Fining Savic more than he has ever earned from tennis and at the same time stripping him of the only means he might have to pay off the fine doesn't make any kind of sense. Hope his fellow countrymen with big bank balances will come to his rescue.

Zare: We don't know the nationality of the 'top player', which could be anyone in the top 100, so it's pointless second guessing.

Did some investigation and the only top 100 player he's played this year was Marcel Granollers at Serbia Open but it was in doubles and they're only a year apart in age so they could have been friends in the juniors. It's possible that he could consider Granollers a top player given his own rank.

hmmmm...he was friend with Bagdy and Simon during the junior days...
His father was Davis Cup player for Yugoslavia... brother is tennis trainer... sport family...
If he was banned and fined 4-5ooo dollars... nobody would even noticed... and I would believe it... but 100k... like someone wanted to cut him of quickly...

I very much doubt that he would be banned and fined $100,000 simply on the strength of someone grassing up on him. They must have some evidence, surely. Look how long it took them to investigate Davy before he was cleared. If they only took someone's word for it, that would be a very dangerous precedence.

If they can ban a player just on the say so of another player it would be so easy for one player to ruin another's career just like that.

Well, I'd like these big organizations to be transparent with the evidence when they claim to have it. People just buy stories without seeing actual evidence first. I'm inclined to believe the guy more than the ATP.

Betting on challengers? It can be easily tracked... I guess that someone put ridiculously big bet, and that triggered action. When it came up to investigation, there are two sides who can fix match. What is easier to do, ban 659 player or Top player?

I doubt that this came as hearsay, or just by pointing finger when you don't like someone. But ruing career of player, really deserves more transparent coverage.

Who is a top player? Top 30? Top 10?

As for the top 4, they are past chasing money to go to the extent of match fixing. They are all about their legacy so I doubt if they would engage in anything like that because that would jeopardize their legacy.

Players on the challenger circuit are short of cash as we all know but who would bet on the outcome of a challenger match? Maybe more the middle ranking players outside the top 20 for instance, so called journey men, who know their prospects of making it to the top are behind them. But if you are outside the top 20, no one will bet on you losing to a top player because that's what would be expected, would there be any sense in betting on the outcome of a match between a top 30 and a top 100 player? I doubt it.

it was funny when I first saw the news a couple of days ago at the CNN as it seemed to be classified as ,breaking news' in sports...and all they have written on the screen was "Serbian player banned for life"...It immediately attracted my interest... I honestly thought it could be Tipsy or Troicki to that matter, judging by the way they were announcing it...and then I came to learn that it was 659 or so ranked player and was thinking how quick CNN was to announce something like that as BIG NEWS whereas for the demonstrations that took place in the streets of NY they only had couple of remarks and a few photos, no live broadcast...unbelievable, given that they are always first to report from Bagdad or Cabul...so much of transparency and unbiased opinion of the CNN...

Well, it is Serbian and it is something bad, so it deserve top story on CNN... that is going on for more than two decades. Title does look deceiving like Johan Lindahl had something to do with :) I am just waiting day when Djokovic will be trashed, for fixing so many wins ;)

hmmmm...he was friend with Bagdy and Simon during the junior days...zare, 10/5/11 8:58 AM

Rumors are circulating that it's Baghdatis. Wow zare how did you find out they were friends?