ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Men's tennis star Nikolay Davydenko of Russia has been fined $2,000 for slow play by the Association of Tennis Professionals.
The fine was assessed Friday by the ATP, the governing body of the men's tennis circuit, which said he was guilty of "not giving his best effort."
It follows Davydenko's stunning loss to little-known qualifier Marin Cilic of Croatia Thursday in the second round of the St. Petersburg Open at St. Petersburg, Russia.
In the match, Davydenko was warned by Belgian umpire Jean-Philippe Dercq for not playing hard enough.
"I double-faulted to lose a game in the third set and he gave me a warning saying I was trying to lose on purpose," Davydenko told reporters after his loss.
"This is just outrageous. How does he know what I was trying to do?"
Earlier this season, Davydenko was one of several players to admit to being asked to throw matches when heavy bets were placed, but he has repeatedly denied ever fixing one.
