Nikolás Sánchez Izquierdo received pressure via WhatsApp before his match against Argentine Valerio Aboain to lose 'in a more discreet way'
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A situation of extreme seriousness shook Challenger de Rosario during the round of 16. This Wednesday, Spanish tennis player Nicolás Sánchez Izquierdo reported having received threats linked to illegal betting before his match against Argentine Valerio Aboian, which made it necessary to reinforce security and to modify how the match unfolded.
The 26-year-old player appeared at around 5 p.m. at Police Station 17 in the city to formally file the complaint, in line with the Anti-Corruption Program of the International Tennis Integrity Agency. According to his account, the intimidation arrived through WhatsApp messages sent from a number with a local area code. In those messages, the senders demanded that he "lose the match in the most discreet way possible" and warned him about consequences for him and his family if he failed to comply with the order.
Sánchez Izquiedo recibió amenazas por WhatsApp
"Nicolás, listen carefully because we won't say this again and this is for this match. We know everything about you and your family," read the beginning of the message.
After the team of the Spanish player became aware of the incident, the team informed the tournament supervisor and the start of the match was postponed to allow the player to contact his close ones. The Regional Prosecutor's Office of Rosario took charge of the investigation, meanwhile special measures were put in place to guarantee security.
The match finally began almost two hours later than scheduled, was played behind closed doors and with a police presence. In that context, Aboian prevailed 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 44 minutes against an opponent who, according to witnesses, appeared visibly affected before stepping onto the court. Later, Sánchez Izquierdo also withdrew from the doubles match that he was supposed to play with Genaro Olivieri and the pair gave a walkover.
Sánchez terminó perdiendo ante Aboian
This Thursday, already back in his country, the Spanish tennis player spoke out on his social media about what had happened. "Given the seriousness of the latest threats I have received, from today on I am going to show zero tolerance and report any kind of excessive message that represents a lack of respect or a threat to me or my family," he wrote. In addition, he thanked the tournament and the authorities for having "taken all the necessary measures, together with the police, to guarantee my security."
The episode once again raised the alarm about a growing problem on the circuit. Threats from bettors are a phenomenon that has already been reported by several players at different levels around the world and that, once again, had a direct impact on a tennis court.
