Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Nobody is apparently safe with the questioning spotlight being shone brightly into the eyes of tennis and world no.1 Novak Djokovic responded calmly but emphatically to new allegations that he purposely lost a match in Paris more than eight years ago with the firm rebuttal: “It’s not true.”

Two days after Djokovic openly admitted he had been indirectly offered US$200,000 to throw a match in another match during 2007 at the St. Petersburg Open in Russia, he refused to give any credence to new allegations printed in the Italian newspaper Tuttosport.

The Turin-published Tuttosport’s un-bylined story linked Djokovic’s loss with changing odds on several on-line gambling exchanges and he said: “Yes, I remember that match.

“My response is that there’s always going to be, especially these days when there is a lot of speculations, this is now the main story in tennis, in sports world, there’s going to be a lot of allegations.

“I have nothing more to say. I said everything I needed to say two days ago. Until somebody comes out with the real proof and evidence, it’s only a speculation for me.”

Admittedly Djokovic did lose the match in question, a second round meeting with Frenchman Fabrice Santoro at the BNP Paribas Masters at Paris’ in early November, little more than a week after the approach was made in Russia.

Djokovic subsequently did not play the St. Petersburg event that was won by Andy Murray and in Paris it was reported he was suffering following dental surgery to remove two wisdom teeth. A fortnight later he contested the Tennis Masters Cup (forerunner of the current ATP World Tour Finals) in Shanghai and lost all three of his round robin group matches.

“What it is to say?” responded the 28 year-old to further questioning. “I lost that match. I don’t know if you’re trying to create a story about that match or for that matter any of the matches of the top players losing in the early rounds. I think it’s just absurd.”

Djokovic refused to comment whether he is considering legal action against Tuttosport and continued: “You can pick any match that you like that the top player lost and just create a story out of it.

He said such stories saddened him, adding: “It’s not supported by any kind of proof, any evidence, any facts. It’s just speculation. You don’t want these kind of subjects or speculations going around.”

Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.