The lawyer of Russian player Yana Sizikova says they are seriously considering legal action following her arrest at Roland Garros.
Sizikova is suspected of participating in a match-fixing scheme during a doubles match last year.
The Paris prosecutor’s office engaged in a standoff with French Open security when they apprehended the 26-year-old following a massage session at the tennis venue.
Sizikova’s parents reached out to French lawyer Frédéric Bélot, who told 1 NEWS she is “completely innocent”.
“Yana has been released from custody,” Bélot said.
“She totally contests these suspicions. Being taken into custody during Roland Garros was totally excessive.”
The prosecutor's office said Sizikova, ranked 101st in doubles and 765th in singles, was arrested for sports bribery and organised fraud for acts likely to have been committed in September 2020.
The case was opened last October by a French police unit specialising in betting fraud and match-fixing. It has previously worked with Belgian authorities investigating suspect matches at the lower levels of professional tennis.
The French Tennis Federation said it could not provide further information because the investigation is ongoing.
“She is completely innocent and does not understand what she is suspected of,” Bélot added.
“Last year Yana had informed the WTA of these rumours on the Internet. The WTA had not reacted.
“She is having rest now, but we are considering filing a complaint for slanderous denunciation and defamation in the coming days.”
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