Davydenko says he may have triggered betting scandal

By Pritha Sarkar

LONDON (Reuters) - Nikolay Davydenko said an on-court conversation with his wife Irina may have accidentally triggered the betting scandal which has plagued him since last year.

The Russian world number four's match against Argentine Martin Vassallo Arguello in Sopot, Poland on August 2 2007 is under investigation by the sport's governing body after British online company Betfair reported irregular betting patterns.

Betfair voided all bets on the match, from which Davydenko retired hurt with a foot injury, and reported it to the ATP.

While both players have denied any wrongdoing, Davydenko had his own theory about how the betting patterns on the match could have suddenly shifted in the lowly-ranked Argentine's favour.

"I spoke on the centre court with my wife in Russian (and) maybe it's possible, I say something (like), 'I don't want to play or I can retire'," Davydenko said after losing 6-4 6-4 6-4 to Germany's Benjamin Becker in the first round at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

"Because we play in Sopot and many Russians are watching the match... some people can understand. It may be my mistake because I need to be quiet, I need to do only my job."

PHONE RECORDS

The 27-year-old added he had submitted all the information requested by the investigators, including his and his wife's phone records. However, he was unable to hand over his brother's records as they were not available.