Italian tennis player Camila Giorgi has been under fire for not paying back dozens of people across the country and some of those donors are from right here in Dothan.
In 2012, Giorgi won the Dothan Pro Classic tournament. She later went on to qualify for Wimbledon but in an interview with Sports Illustrated last week, tournament volunteer Todd Andrews said without the help of almost 30,000 dollars, Giorgi wouldn't have been able to afford to go to Wimbledon.
Andrews wasn't the only one to give money to the tennis player; Dothan area Chamber of Commerce President Matt Parker and Mayor Mike Schmitz were also among the donors. We spoke with them today but they were unwilling to go on camera. Parker told us that he never expected to see the money again, that it was simply a gift but in the Sports Illustrated article, Andrews disagrees.
After Giorgi lost to Serena Williams in the Wimbledon finals she still went home with over 100,000 dollars in winnings. Andrews was quoted by Sports Illustrated saying, "Now remember you owe us." after she won the tournament. Her response was, "Yea I know, we'll have it soon." But Andrews has yet to see any of that money and neither has anyone else in Dothan that helped her out.
When we asked Dothan Chamber of Commerce President Matt Parker if he would still donate to the athlete, now knowing her history he said he most likely would not.
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