Updated on: Sept 01, 2025 08:58 pm IST
Leandro Riedi also claimed that both his opponents, Pedro Martinez and Francisco Cerundolo, also thought that the fan was a bettor.
Swiss tennis ace Leandro Riedi found himself in controversy during his second-round win over Argentine Francisco Cerundolo. He reported a vocal fan to the chair umpire, who was cheering him on. After losing a break, a fuming Riedi suspected the fan of being a bettor and decided to complain.
Crowds watch matches during the ongoing US Open.(Getty Images via AFP)
After the match, he said, “It feels like more and more bettors are coming to watch. Of course they can come to watch tennis if they stay on the right side of the line, but I think it is a problem which is getting bigger and bigger because of social media.”
“If people come live [to matches] and support that’s nice, of course. But you know if you lose, one of these guys who are betting might abuse you on social media later.”
Riedi lost the first two sets before winning the third. But then he gave up a break in the fourth. Riedi also allegedly spotted the same man during his first-round win vs Spain’s Pedro Martinez.
Riedi eventually sealed a 3-6 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-2 win. He told BBC Sport, “In that moment he was saying the wrong words to me. He was trying to be positive but for me it was like ‘be quiet, you have nothing to do with me’, you’re just betting on me.”
“He was not a Swiss guy and he was always on his phone. So for me… he’s probably a bettor. In that moment I just didn’t want to see or hear this guy.”
Riedi also claimed that both his opponents, Martinez and Cerundolo, also thought that the fan was a bettor.
“Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel I’m correct because I’ve experienced it enough – that he was betting. If he really is a supporter and he didn’t bet then I’m truly sorry, but I have a gut feeling he was a bettor. I told the umpire if I lose, this guy will text and say ‘I hope your mother dies’. This has happened too many times,” Riedi further added.
In his third round match, he got a walkover against Kamil Majchrzak after leading 5-3 in the first set. He is set to face Alex de Minaur in his Round of 16.
News / Sports / US Sports / Furious Swiss tennis star accuses courtside fan of being ‘bettor’ during US Open match
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