Davydenko fined 10,000 dollar for slur on Sydney

SYDNEY, Jan 11 (Reuters) Russia's Nikolay Davydenko was today fined 10,000 dollar for a slur on Sydney after making disparaging remarks about the city's 1.2 million dollar tennis tournament.

The world number three claimed yesterday that some of the sport's top players had pulled out of the last major warm-up for next week's Australian Open because they did not care about the event.

Davydenko told reporters the high casualty rate in Sydney was because the city staged a small tournament that ''nobody cares about.'' ATP chairman Etienne De Villiers, head of the body which governs men's tennis, said he was concerned about the high withdrawal rate in Sydney but that Davydenko's comments were harmful.

''I'm satisfied that the 10,000 dollar fine for Davydenko is the appropriate sanction for the comments that were made that not only damaged the very fine tournament in Sydney but also sullies the reputation of our great sport,'' De Villiers said in a statement.

Reuters AY DB1301