Whistle-blower Golding: Tennis let me down

OLI GOLDING says he would think twice about blowing the whistle again on corruption in tennis after being left to fend for himself by the sport’s authorities.

The 2011 US Open Boys champion (above) reported an approach from Greek player Alexandros Jakupovic to throw a set in a match between them in return for 2,000 euros.

But Golding, 24, says his anonymity was uncovered within days of going to the Tennis Integrity Unit and that Jakupovic played on, while the Londoner had to wait a year before the hearing that led to the Greek being banned for life in 2015.

Golding told ITV News: “You hear about these sort of things and you’re aware it is a problem, but it wasn’t a situation I’d found myself in before.”

No one helped Golding prepare for the hearing, no one went along with him or told him what to expect before he was grilled by Jakupovic’s lawyers.

He added: “I’ve never been questioned by lawyers in my life, I almost felt a bit guilty for reporting him. There is a problem in tennis and it does need to be stamped out, so I’m sure I did the right thing, but it is a tough process to go through.

“If it happened again it would be in the back of my mind, ‘God, I’ve got to go through this again’ which I don’t think anybody really wants to do.”

Golding quit pro tennis in 2014, but returned to the game this summer. The Tennis Integrity Unit says it had done all it could to help him.