NIKOLAY Davydenko has been warned by the chair umpire for not playing hard enough in his three-set loss to Marian Cilic at the ATP Tour St Petersburg Open.
Davydenko, the No.1 seed from Russia, won the first set in 27 minutes but drew a rebuke from chair umpire Jean-Philippe Dercq in the third set before succumbing 6-1 5-7 1-6.
"When I made a double fault, he gave me a notice for a wrong behaviour on the court as if I was throwing the match," Davydenko said.
"I was surprised.
"I’ve never heard anything like this before. No matter how I’d played, no matter what had happen to me, I was never given such a notice."
The ATP is investigating, and has spoken to Davydenko about, a match involving the Russia in August in which online gambling site Betfair voided bets because of irregular betting patterns.
The Russian withdrew from that match against world No.87 Martin Vassallo Arguello in the third set because of a foot injury.
Davydenko said that Dercq asked him during the exchange about his condition, but the Russian first said there was nothing wrong and later said the problem was in his legs.
"He could not solve my problem anyway, that why I first told him I was OK, but I didn’t play the way I did in the first set, that’s why he gave me a notice," Davydenko said.
"Later I told him that my legs have collapsed. I could not move."
Cilic’s victory was his second in seven weeks against Davydenko.
"It was very tough for me," the world No.102 said of the first set.
"He was making winners almost from everywhere."
But Cilic levelled the match after the world No.4 made four double faults in the second set.
The Russian double-faulted three times in the third game to fall behind 3-0 in the third set and draw Dercq’s warning.
"I felt I wanted, but could not (win)," Davydenko said.
"It really knocked me out and I lost my serve and the second set, and psychologically I was no longer on the court. I was completely switched off. It’s a rare thing but it has happen."
The Russian qualified for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai next month by winning the Kremlin Cup two weeks ago.
In other results, No.2 seed Andy Murray defeated Czech qualifier Lukas Dlouhy 6-2 6-4, No.3 seed Mikhail Youzhny defeated Mario Ancic 6-4 6-2, and No.4 seed Potito Starace defeated qualifier Mikhail Ledovskikh 7-6 (7-4) 6-2.
No.6-seed Fernando Verdasco also reached the quarter-finals, ousting Simone Bolelli 6-4 6-4.
Source: foxsports.com.au
