I was surprised at the lack of vanity in his action and voice. On the court, he had always been a very verbal player, yelling at the other players and arguing with the umpires, but now standing in front of me, he seemed very much kinder and gentler.
I asked if I could ask him a personal question, and he agreed. I told him that I had heard many rumors why he stopped playing tennis, but I wanted to verify which version of the story was real and which one i should believe.
As soon as i had asked the question, I thought maybe someone should have vetoed my decision to ask him, but then he started to talk. He told me that a few years ago, he was on the verge of becoming the champion, but he had got into trouble with the law via his only vice: gambling.
He said that some shady businessmen had approached him about investing a large amount of money in a real estate venture with a value of several million dollars. He said that he'd get the money so he bet against himself in a match versus the world champ.
At the beginning of the match he was playing hard against the champ and vice versa. But towards the end of the match, most of his shots were going vertical into the air, and everybody could tell that he was trying to throw the match. There was a trial, and the verdict came back: guilty. He wasn't allowed to play professional tennis ever again.
After our conversation, i rolled down the windows in my car for some ventilation. Just then, my phone started vibrating and I answered it. It was my best friend, so i told him everything i had just heard.