Israeli tennis player denied reports on Friday claiming that he had fixed a former match of his in the French Open.
"No chance that I will be involved in such things," Dudi Sela said Thursday in response to suspicions of fixing a French Open tennis qualifying match.
The French Open, also known as the Roland-Garros, is one of the four major tennis Grand Slam tournaments and is the premier championship played on a clay court.
Dudi Sela, ranked the 456th best tennis player in the world and the highest-ranking Israeli male player, lost a qualifying match held on Monday against Spanish opposition Bernabe Zapata Miralles, ranked 112th.
37-year-old Sela, who in 2009 achieved a career-high ranking of 29th in the world, was convincingly beaten by Miralles in a 6-3, 6-0 sweep.
However, as per reports in France, the result of the match was put in doubt as French authorities suspect the game of being rigged.
According to L'Équipe, the aforementioned second set of the match, which the Spaniard swept 6-0, was the subject of a disproportionally high amount of online betting.
The bets were reportedly concentrated in three online markets which originated in Cyprus, Armenia and Ukraine.
An investigation into the match is yet to be opened, French media added.
"The people that know me, personally and as a player will know that these accusations are not only untrue but there is no chance that I will be involved in such things," Dudi Sela responded to the suspicions against him for fixing a match.
"Anyone involved in sports should easily understand that as a player who has not competed for a long time due to injuries, my chances of winning a game against a higher ranking opponent were not high anyway, so it is puzzling that such betting was needed at all," Sela added