Aslan Karatsev and Nikoloz Basilashvili have been prominent members of the Top 50 for a long time. Winning a handful of titles each, the two have time and again given a glimpse of their potential. The two are set to face each other tomorrow in the opening round of the German Open. However, at a point when the headlines should be revolving around their clash, it is their match-fixing allegations that have taken the top spot.

On 10th July, a report by a media house claimed that the two players have been involved in a match-fixing scandal for years. 8 days after the claim, Karatsev and Basilashvili finally presented their stance on the matter. As one would expect, the two clearly denied such claims, calling them baseless and nonsensical.

Nikoloz Basilashvili presents his stance on the allegations

As per the report released by the ZDF, Nikoloz Basilashvili was allegedly involved in a match fixing scandal during the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. Going back in time, the Georgian player suffered a first-round loss to Andy Murray in the singles circuit. Similarly, partnering with Radu Albot, he also suffered a first-round loss in the men’s doubles format.

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As per the claims of ZDF, the 30-year-old was involved in a match fixing scandal in the doubles game. As per reports, bets of more than $700,000 were placed during the match. While Tennis Integrity Agency has taken over the case, Basilashvili has come out in public to deny the accusations.

“I found out that the German media mentioned my name in connection with alleged match-fixing. Such accusations have no basis and I deny them,” he asserted.

As mentioned earlier, Nikoloz has been a prominent part of the Top 50. A former World No. 16, Nikoloz has a fairly decent fan following, supporting him during his on-court appearances. Not willing to accept the possible damage to his reputation because of the accusations, the Georgian player further said, “I will not accept that my reputation is damaged by unfounded and absurd accusations.”

Making sure to protect his reputation, he further revealed the steps being taken by him to stop the spread of ‘misinformation’.

“I demand that the media stop with these allegations and lies. The public must be informed that I deny all these allegations. I have authorised a law firm in Germany to protect my interests and fight the spread of misinformation in every possible way,” he said.

Aslan Karatsev denies ‘nonsense’ match fixing claims

Similar to Nikoloz Basilashvili, Russian star Aslan Karatsev also denied the claims. As per the report by ZDF, Karatsev has been a part of 5 match-fixing incidents. The first two instances date back to 2019 and 2020 when Karatsev played the Challengers in Finland and Kazakhstan, respectively. Similar to the two instances, Karatsev was also questioned by the French police during the 2020 French Open. Apart from the three, two other instances took place thereafter.

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Despite being accused of involvement in 5 such incidents, Aslan came out in public to deny the claims. “I haven’t heard anything about it. I don’t know what you are talking about. And should I comment on this nonsense? How many times have they written such things about me, have I ever been convicted?” he said.