TMS - MADRID

October 14, 2003

Yevgeny Kafelnikov

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Yevgeny.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Yeah, it was injury, my foot.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Yes.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Yes.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I think it's all bullshit. That's all I can tell you. To read what you guys writing, you know, it's definitely hurting my feeling.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: All. It says I have been involved in the match fixing in the men's tennis. You know, to read that, you know, I don't even have a comments for that.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: No, that's how I understood. I understood it says Kafelnikov has been involved in match fixing in tennis. You know, it just completely tears me apart.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I'm not aware of that.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: That figure doesn't mean to me anything. 100, 200, 1 million.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I have no explanation for that, for what you're saying, you know. Like I told you, you know, I don't even know what figures normally, what bookmakers are doing. It's not interesting me.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Well, you know, like I said, there is nothing I can do about it. Whatever the people doing, you know, websites or anywhere in the bookmaker's office, it's not my fault. All I can tell you, you know, tennis players have never been involved in the match fixing, especially in our sport. We are playing for our living. I'm completely hurting myself fixing any kind of matches. How much money I make in each tournaments, it's my money. It just completely -- you know, I don't even have the explanation for what's happening right now. You know, when I walked in yesterday morning, in the locker room, all the players looked at me like I'm the worst enemy of all time. And it completely tears me apart. Because what you have written in the newspaper, everyone has readed it. Back in my own country where basically people looking at me like I'm role model, and now they look at me like, you know, I'm worst enemy.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Not in our sport.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Not in our sport.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I've been around since '92, yes.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: If it doesn't stop, of course, I'm going to try to do whatever it takes. You know, you got to be responsible for what you're saying. Somebody has to be punished for that.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I talked to him. He told me his mother was crying on the phone when she found out about it. He told me, "What is going on?" I said, "It's out of our hands, nothing we can do about it. This is the press. They basically in charge for what they writing." I don't know. I think he did the press conference before, right? I don't know what he had to say. But between us, we completely shocked.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Only one which is hanging on our wall in the locker room. I think it was the Telegraph.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Yes, that's the only one I've readed. Like I told you, I have no comments. I can't even express myself. You know, if you would have understand Russian, I would explain you in Russian what I feel.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Why you asking this question? I think betting itself, it's completely hurting any sport. Believe me, I would punish myself the people who created this kind of gambling, especially on sport, because this is completely destroying the life of many other sportsmens. Look what happened in cricket. I completely like to see gambling completely out of the picture. If I were allowed to make that rule, I would make it right now, believe me.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I would completely -- first of all, I'd like to find out if there are any. Of course, if we would find out there is some guys who has this kind of information or perhaps trying to not give hundred percent effort on the court while they playing, you know, I think we would be definitely taking some action against those people.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I had it since right after I lost to Sargsian first round of Kremlin Cup, so about two weeks, yeah. I thought I could play, but unfortunately...

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: It's tendonitis. I just had an MRI. It showed on the picture.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I have no idea.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I have no idea. I have no idea. I don't even know where was this stuff kind of going around. No idea.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Why I was trying to carry on this year? Because I was trying to give myself another chance to see if I was going to make right decision. As I see right now, I'm going to make a right decision after Paris, that's for sure, what I want to do. It's clear to me now what I want to do after season is ending.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: The only thing I'm not happy about it that the players are not standing together on any kind of issues. That's what tears me apart. And hopefully when I'll be gone, there will be some major changes. They will stick together like one union, like in any other sports. Because if they do, it's going to help towards the end of the road.