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Dominik Koepfer: betting manipulation for some "last chance"

Dominik Koepfer said in an interview about betting manipulation in tennis and cited the low prize money at lower tournament levels as the main reason for this.

by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Dec 25, 2019, 06:27 pm

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Dominik Koepfer
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Dominik Koepfer

Dominik Koepfer - the common tennis fan was probably not familiar with this name before the start of the US Open 2019. In New York, however, the German struggled sensationally into the round of 16 and , after winning the first set, failed in four rounds on the later finalist Daniil Medvedev .

The 25-year-old not only played in the hearts of the US audience, but naturally also aroused the interest of the media. Before the start of the new season, the German Press Agency (DPA) asked him for an interview, during which Koepfer also commented on, among other things, betting manipulation in his sport.

Excessive costs at the lower tournament level

"I can already imagine that some are desperate and that it is their last chance to continue playing tennis through betting manipulation," said the world ranking 94. "It is actually impossible to pay the travel expenses and everything," said Koepfer, referring to the high costs, especially at lower tournament levels.

"I was lucky to have the support of my parents and the university. Not everyone has that," the German continued. Even so, he had never been asked about betting.

ITF raises prize money

It was only in mid-December that the ZDF and the daily newspaper Die Welt reported on a worldwide betting scandal in tennis , in which, among other things, a German professional and a top 30 player were said to be involved.

Not least because of this, the ITF has recently raised the prize money for the losers in the early rounds of the Grand Slam tournaments. This also applies to the Australian Open beginning on January 20, where a record prize money will be distributed in 2020.

by Nikolaus Fink

Thursday
Dec 26, 2019, 09:57 am
last edit: Dec 25, 2019, 06:27 pm