BEIJING (AFP) — US number one James Blake said he had "lost a little faith" in Chile's Fernando Gonzalez as a furious row erupted over their Olympic semi-final on Friday.
Blake said Gonzalez knowingly touched a fast-moving ball which went out with his racquet, unnoticed by the umpire, and would not admit it afterwards.
The Chilean 2004 bronze-medallist won the marathon match 4-6, 7-5, 11-9 to guarantee himself a second successive medal.
"Playing in the Olympics, in what's supposed to be considered a gentleman's sport, that's a time to call it on yourself. Fernando looked me square in the eye and didn't call it," Blake said.
"That's a disappointing way to exit the tournament when you not only lose the match, but you lose a little faith in your fellow competitor," he added.
Gonzalez was serving to stay in the match at 8-9 in the decisive third set at the time of the incident. He was at the net when Blake fired a fast shot close to him.
Blake complained bitterly to Brazilian chair umpire Carlos Bernardes, even asking for a Hawkeye review, but was told the ball-tracking technology could not help.
"We know when it touches us. And he knew that. So that's where it comes into calling it on yourself because it's the right thing to do," he said.
"Should I expect him to do that? Maybe not. Maybe I shouldn't expect people to hold themselves to high standards, sportsmanship.
"But, yes, I did expect it a little more so in the Olympics when we're all competing under the banner of this event being to promote sportsmanship, to promote goodwill amongst countries."
Blake dismissed an earlier incident when Gonzalez hit a smash straight at him, and then apologised.
"That was heat of the moment stuff. He hit it right at me," he said.
"Probably didn't want to hear an apology right away because I thought it was intentional. When we changed sides, he said, sorry, it's part of the game, you were on top of the game.
"I said okay, that's fine. It's part of the game, you're right. Move on. And we did."
However, Blake said in his eight previous matches with Gonzalez, he had often come close to "gamesmanship."
"I know him very well. I've played him many times on tour. He does everything in his power to win," Blake said.
"Usually it's within the rules. Sometimes it's bordering on gamesmanship.
"But he's too good of a player to do something like that and to act like that. That's why it's disappointing, because he is a great player."
Blake added that he had learned sporting values from his parents and still stuck by them.
"I try to do it with integrity, so my parents would be proud of the way I played," he said.
"If that happened the other way, I never would have finished the match because my father would have pulled me off the court if I had acted that way."
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