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 The reigning Australian Open champion was speaking after the sport
was rocked by allegations that the authorities had failed to deal
with widespread match-fixing.
Djokovic said that as far as he was aware there was no longer a
problem with what he described as a "crime in sport" at the top
level of tennis, but added that he had once been approached
indirectly to throw a match.
"I was not approached directly, I was approached through people that
were with my team," he said, after cruising through his opening
match at the tournament against South Korean teenager Chung Hyeon on
Monday.
"Of course, we threw it away right away. The guy that was trying to
talk to me, he didn't even get to me directly. There was nothing out
of it.
"Unfortunately, there were some, in those times, those days, rumors,
some talk, some people were going around. They were dealt with. In
the last six, seven years, I haven't heard anything similar."
In 2007, Djokovic said an approach had been made offering him
$200,000 to throw a match at the St Petersburg Open in Russia, a
tournament he did not ultimately play in.
The 28-year-old Serb said that although he was confident there was
no longer a problem at the top level, he could not speak for further
down the tennis rankings.
Djokovic was also asked about the propriety of betting companies
being sponsors of major tennis tournaments, even if there had never
been allegations that such companies were involved in any
wrongdoing.
William Hill became the first "official wagering partner" of the
Australian Open last year, and this year advertisements for the
British bookmaker adorned the three main showcourts at Melbourne
Park for the first time.
Critics, who say the relationship sends out the wrong message, have
called on Tennis Australia to end it, and Djokovic said there should
at least be a debate.
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"Well, this is a subject for discussion, I think, today and in the
future. It's a fine line. Honestly it's on a borderline, I would
say," he said.
"Whether you want to have betting companies involved in the big
tournaments in our sport or not, it's hard to say what's right and
what's wrong.
"One of the reasons why tennis is a popular and clean sport is
because it has always valued its integrity," he added.
William Hill defended its association with Tennis Australia.
"Close partnerships between regulated and licensed betting operators
like William Hill and sporting bodies are part of the solution to
integrity issues, not part of the problem," said group director of
security, Bill South, in a statement.
"We have comprehensive information sharing agreements to inform the
sport's integrity bodies and for the sport to promote licensed
operators is key to ensuring transparency," he added.
Tennis Australia did not have an immediate comment to make.
(Additional reporting by Kate Holton in London; Editing by Mike
Collett-White)
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