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Andy Roddick has laughed off a warning about Twitter messages from the anti-gambling watchdogs of tennis as an over-the-top worry about the latest social network advance.
Signs posted in the US Open locker rooms at Arthur Ashe Stadium by the Tennis Integrity Unit warn players about the perils off sending out too much private information that might be turned into tip-offs for gamblers.
“I think it’s lame the US Open is trying to regulate our tweeting,” Roddick posted in a message on his Twitter site.
“I understand the on-court issue but not sure they can tell us if we can/can’t do it on our own time.”
The ATP and WTA tours, Grand Slams and the International Tennis Federation established the unit to combat match-fixing concerns and gambling issues, not to regulate player communications and on-line moves to excite supporters.
“I definitely respect the rule about inside info and on court, but you would seriously have to be a moron to send ‘inside info’ through a tweet,” Roddick posted.
“Not very subtle/smart.”
While a loose Tweet might one day in theory discredit who gets beat, Roddick saw the signs as laughably heavy-handed.
“I found the warning humorous,” Roddick said.
“I understand the precautions being taken as far as the anti-gambling laws and the inside information.
“But I feel like the last place you would put inside information is on a public site for everybody to see.
“The part where it’s like, ‘We’ll be monitoring. Watch what you do besides tennis also,’ I thought that was a little bit much.”
Roddick got an even heartier laugh when he logged onto the US Open website.
“The best part about it was I went to the US Open website and found a link to my Twitter page and they have an iPhone application that connects you to their Twitter page, which I thought was amusing,” Roddick said.
Anti-gambling concerns range beyond a player talking about his night life or favorite foods to such issues as weather, court conditions, umpires and rivals and would apply not only to players but their entourages as well.
“It’s definitely important because there are a lot of things that happen in tennis that shouldn’t happen,” said defending US Open women’s champion Serena Williams, an 11-time grand slam winner.
“You don’t think about it sometimes when you Tweet certain things. But I guess you have to think about everything nowadays.”
Kim Clijsters, the former No.1 from Belgium back after a two-year layoff to start a family, sees Twitter simply as a way to keep friends posted.
“It’s just an opportunity for the fans to interact,” she said.
“I’m on Facebook and it’s for my friends. It’s a very easy way to stay in touch with everybody.
“I’ll probably have 500 ‘friend’ requests after this. It’s fun.”
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