Tennis match-fixing claims: eight players in Australian Open draw suspected
The BBC, in a programme to be aired on Tuesday, claim a joint investigation with Buzzfeed shows: "Over the last decade 16 players who have ranked in the top 50 have been repeatedly flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit [attached to the Association of Tennis Professionals] over suspicions they have thrown matches."
A statement issued late on Sunday said unnamed sources have passed the BBC and Buzzfeed a "cache of documents" dating back to 2007 that expose "widespread suspected match-fixing at the top level of world tennis, including at Wimbledon".
When these concerns were originally aired, Andy Murray expressed his concern about match-fixing. Here in pursuit of his first Australian Open, he interrupted his preparation in Melbourne on Monday morning to tweet the Buzzfeed version of the story.
The BBC added: "Eight of the players repeatedly flagged to the TIU over the past decade are due to play in the Australian Open." There are concerns that because these allegations stretch over nearly a decade there has been a lack of willingness by tennis authorities to pursue investigations.
"If they were really serious about dealing with this, then they really need to create an integrity unit with teeth," said Benn Gunn, a former police chief constable whose original review of betting in tennis led to the creation of the TIU. The BBC also quote a claim by the European Sports Security Association which says, "tennis attracts more suspicious gambling activity than other sports".
Nigel Willerton, who heads the TIU, responded: "All credible information received by the TIU is analysed, assessed and investigated by highly experienced former law-enforcement investigators."
Mark Phillips, who was involved in the 2007 investigation, has gone on record for the first time, saying: "There was a core of about 10 players who we believed were the most common perpetrators that were at the root of the problem."
However, while the numbers and recurring frequency of allegations are worrying, it appears most of the activity does not involve leading players in the game, although grand slam winners are alleged to be implicated. The BBC and Buzzfeed do not name any of the players under investigation.
The ATP president, Chris Kermode, strongly denied that the TIU, which was set up as an independent body, was deliberately seeking to hide any suspected improprieties, saying he believed the threat of match-fixing in the sport remained at an "incredibly small level".
"It is simply not true that we are sitting on evidence," Kermode told the BBC. "What happens is that information and intelligence are given to the Tennis Integrity Unit and they then have to turn that into evidence.
"There is a big difference here between information and intelligence as to evidence. Every single bit of information that the Tennis Integrity Unit receives is investigated properly.
"We take this so seriously. Their [the TIU's] job is to eradicate any of this going on. We are aware that it is there. I think that it is on an incredibly small level, and it is our business going forward that we keep acting upon this in the best possible way."
The issue returned to focus in November, when the International Tennis Federation, which runs the Davis Cup and the Federation Cup, announced a three-year sponsorship deal with Betway, one of the world's largest online betting companies.
"All elements of the new partnership are fully compliant with the rules and interpretations of the tennis anti-corruption programme," an ITF statement said the time.
The federation's recently installed president, David Haggerty, said, "Betway is a well-respected international betting brand. The ITF and Betway share the mission to keep the sport of tennis clean."
This year for the first time the Australian Open has a gambling sponsor, William Hill, whose advertisements will appear in its three main arenas.
Tennis Australia's commercial director, Richard Heaselgrave, said the tie-up would have a positive effect on promoting the sport's integrity, Fairfax Media reported.
"William Hill has a strong track record working with global sporting bodies and a significant aspect of this partnership is our capacity to work side-by-side to uphold the integrity framework of the sport," Heaselgrave said.
In its media release announcing the partnership William Hill promoted its ability to offer in-play betting, and said it would "continue to push the boundaries" of what it could give customers.
For more information go to The Guardian.com