Tennis – Johan Nikles denounces the serious threats he has received

Enough is enough! Genevan Johan Nikles, ranked 435th in the world, received serious threats after his defeat in the round of 16 of the Future tournament in Amersfoort (PB) on Thursday against veteran 35-year-old Czech Lukas Rosol (2-6 1- 6). A person with an unknown identity threatened him, after having obviously bet a lot – and therefore lost a lot – on a victory for the Genevan.

Johan Nikles therefore decided to publish on Twitter the threatening posts he received on his Instagram account. Under the – obviously fictitious – name of David Smolen, this person asks him to reimburse 2000 euros by giving an IBAN number of a Czech account (see the tweet below). “Thank you because today you destroyed my life, wrote the individual in particular. Send me my money back, or I’ll find you and your family. You have 2 days. Otherwise, I will come to visit your family in Switzerland with my English friends. ”

Nikles therefore reacted: “It must stop,” he wrote. It goes too far. I no longer feel safe in the face of such threats. ”

We joined the Geneva tennis player when he had just landed in Zurich-Kloten, back from the Netherlands, and was heading for Gstaad, where he obtained a wild card for the qualifications which start tomorrow. .

Johan Nikles, why did you choose to publish the threats that have been addressed to you?

It’s hard to put words into this kind of thing … Since the appearance of online betting, we are very often confronted with this kind of messages. But there, it goes beyond the limits. I had never received such violent threats. This is why I made the choice to publish them via Twitter. The tweet went well, that’s good. The more players share it, the better.

And what about the tennis courts, the ITF (International Tennis Federation) for example?

The ITF is well aware of the problem, it is a fact. But she’s going to tell us that she can’t do anything about it.

Do you really feel in danger?

Yes, because I don’t know who these threats are coming from. You never know who you might run into. With tournament schedules posted all over the Internet, it’s easy to know where we are and where to find us. So yes, I am worried and I am wondering. What do I do if the guy shows up at my house or my family?

Are you thinking of taking on a bodyguard?

I unfortunately do not have the means.

Is this the only threatening message you received after your loss to Rosol?

No, I must have received about fifteen in any case on my Instagram account. Usually, I just block and delete them. But when I read these sentences, I told myself that I couldn’t let this go and that I had to publish them to attract attention. This person has obviously bet a lot on me, but that does not give him the right to threaten us, my family and me. Hence my publication.