Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Roger Federer has denied any involvement in alleged high-stakes gambling by an executive from his management company in a story published by the New York Times.
The tennis star said in a story posted Wednesday that he contacted IMG executive Ted Forstmann after learning of a lawsuit in which Forstmann is accused of betting millions on sporting events, including the 2007 French Open final that Federer lost to Rafael Nadal.
“I reached out to him and told him I want to know everything about it, how this came about,” Federer told the newspaper. “And he’s been, you know, nice enough obviously to tell me from his side and has been very open in the press already. So that’s OK.”
Forstmann does not represent Federer; Tony Godsick of IMG is his agent.
“Tony is my guy, but still, it’s a firm that does a lot in sports,” Federer said. “So it’s just something that for me is important to know what is going on from their side, too.”
Forstmann is being sued in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Agate Printing Inc. for fraud, interference with contract and breach of contract. In the complaint, which seeks extensive damages for lost business Forstmann allegedly promised, Agate Printing executive Jim Agate claims to have served as a conduit for Forstmann’s gambling.
Forstmann acknowledged betting on Federer and gambling on sports in general, but rejected Agate’s claim that he increased bets on Federer after consulting with him.
“I might have called Roger before the match in 2007,” Forstmann told the website The Daily Beast. “But Roger is a buddy of mine, and all I would be doing is wishing him luck.”
Agate’s lawsuit claims that Forstmann bet $5,000 on Federer to win the 2006 French Open final, a match he also lost to Nadal, and the following year placed bets of $22,000 and $11,000 on Federer to win on June 9, the day before the men’s final.
Although Grand Slam tennis tournaments have rules barring players from gambling on matches, there are no rules prohibiting agents or other members of player entourages from betting on tennis. In 2007, there also was no rule barring players providing “insider information” to a gambler, although that was changed in January 2009 amid concerns about potential match-fixing.
Federer did not elaborate on his conversation with Forstmann, whose company also owns and operates some professional tennis tournaments. He said he was simply trying to stay vigilant.
“That names get thrown around, that you can’t help sometimes,” Federer said. “That’s just the way it is. So from that side, for me it was crazy news to hear that, but obviously, it’s not a good thing when IMG of Ted Forstmann is involved in it.”
