Spain’s Feliciano López has denied having any hand in match-fixing allegations which go back to an astonishing loss that he and his partner Marc Lopez suffered at the 2017 Wimbledon Men’s Doubles tournament.
The Spanish authorities have been carrying out an investigation and have named the veteran tennis player in their report.
The controversy has largely overshadowed the comeback of former world No.1 Andy Murray, who is set to play doubles this week with Lopez at the Queen’s Club Championships in West Kensington, London.
The 32-year-old Murray is returning from a 5-month absence after undergoing hip surgery to soothe his chronic pains outside the court.
Diario AS
Reports cite that Feliciano Lopez, and his then doubles partner Marc López, became the target of an investigation by the Spanish police after an unexpected loss to unseeded Matt Reid and John-Patrick Smith at Wimbledon 2017. The Lopez duo had emerged victorious in the first set of the game but fumbled the match 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-4.
The case is reportedly linked to the alleged match-fixing perpetrated by former La Liga players Raul Bravo and Carlos Aranda, and the on-going “Operation Oikos” conducted by Spanish investigators. The 38-year-old Bravo, who last played for Cordoba in the 2013-14 season, has been accused of being the ringleader of the illicit operations. The La Liga is the Spanish football league and is extremely popular with Spain’s football loving citizens.
However, Feliciano Lopez and Marc López have vehemently denied the allegations, saying they will not stand for the controversy sullying their name.
Under “Operation Oikos,” authorities wiretapped Aranda’s phone and managed to record him revealing insider information that the Lopezes were set to flub their Wimbledon campaign. During the phone call, Aranda was heard instructing an unnamed client how to bet in the upcoming tennis tournament, demanding a 50% commission from the winnings in exchange for the tip.
The fact that Lopez has been accused of matching fixing is ironic given the fact that he is partnering with Brit Andy Murray who has gone on record in the past to state that he believes match fixing is taking place in tennis and called for the authorities to release the names of those players who were fixing.
The Tennis Integrity Unit has confirmed that it is aware of the accusations and will look into the matter.
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