Is Tennis Mobbed Up?

We should have seen it coming: It seems that the Russian Mafia may have infiltrated pro tennis (this surprises me: I would have guessed chess). But don't worry, sports fans; we have our best man on the case. John McEnroe. The former American great points to questions surrounding tennis stars such as Russia's Nikolay Davydenko — the fourth-ranked player in the world who is being investigated by the ATP after a defeat in Poland in August — Alessio di Mauro of Italy and Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, who some think may have fixed matches.

"The thing that worries me is that mafia types, like the Russian mafia, could be involved. That's potentially pretty dark and scary," McEnroe told The Daily Telegraph. McEnroe said he believes players are throwing matches because of threats to themselves and their families. "I think that's the side that people aren't really looking at with these match-fixing stories. Someone may have threatened the players, and they are put in a situation. I'm guessing that could happen. That would make more sense to me than top players throwing a match for money."

Scary, if true. And I can just picture McEnroe working with he police on this; chasing suspects through the streets of Moscow while wearing shorts and a headband. Worst Bourne Ultimatum Sequel Ever.

McEnroe Fears That Mafia Has Infiltrated Tennis [MSNBC]