BRUSSELS, Sept 27: Two Belgian tennis players said on Thursday they had been approached to take bribes to lose matches, including at Wimbledon.

Gilles Elseneer said he refused an offer of US$141,270 to lose a first-round match against Italy’s Potito Starace at Wimbledon in 2005.

“I would get US$70,635 before the match and 50,000 after,” he told VRT TV in an interview posted on its website. “I thought at first it was a joke because it involved an awful lot of money. But rest assured that it happens a lot. It involves a lot of money.”

Elseneer refused to say who approached him other than that “they are active in the tennis world.” He said the bribe offer did not involve other players or coaches.

Elseneer, a qualifier, beat Starace 6-3, 7-6 (9), 6-3. He lost in the second round to Richard Gasquet in four sets.

“I was favoured to win against Starace on grass,” Elseneer said. “They invested euro100,000 in me, but they put a heavy bet on my opponent ensuring a good payback.”

Another Belgian, Dick Norman, said he had been approached six or seven year ago at a lower level challenger tournament in Italy take cash to lose.

“This was a lot more than if I won the tournament. I said no,” Norman told daily De Standaard.

Norman added that he was also asked to divulge tips or bits of information on other players who were either having personal problems or concealing minor injuries. Such information could be useful to gamblers betting on matches.

The new claims come amid concern that pro tennis is being infiltrated by gambling rings.

Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko is under scrutiny after a British online gambling company tracked bettors putting 10 times the usual amount of money on a match he played in August.—AP