Novak Djokovic rubbishes 2007 match-fixing claim

After his first-round win, on the day when the BBC and BuzzFeed News published reports alleging match-fixing had gone unchecked in tennis, the No. 1-ranked Djokovic recalled when a member of his support team was approached with an offer to throw a match in Russian Federation in 2007. Referring specifically to the claim about a former Grand Slam victor, he asked, “Was it the player?” The player had requested anonymity before talking to the BBC.

The 10-time Grand Slam victor and defending champion downed the 187th-ranked Halys 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) in one hour 40 minutes in the night match on Rod Laver Arena.

Djokovic will now play Italian Andreas Seppi, who eliminated American player Denis Kudla 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

“It can just be people throwing money on a match”. He said he refused the offer.

Roger Federer said he wants to know names of those suspected of fixing matches, a call echoed by players, commentators and fans.

“Anybody can create a story about any match… you can pick any match that you like that the top player lost and just create a story out of it [but] until somebody comes out with the real proof and evidence [of match-fixing], it’s only speculation”.

The outspoken Ukrainian chatted while glancing at scores on television screens near the men’s locker room at the Australian Open and revealed how a misleading scoreline could mistakenly be construed as suspicious behavior by a player.

“There’s always a danger – a year ago (the third round) was the end for me”.

“Hopefully I will serve well and it doesn’t come back”, Groth said.

Federer answered several questions on the controversy following his first-round win over Nikoloz Basilashvili on Monday, but grew irritated when asked about the potential involvement of major champions.

Goffin ended up winning the match in four sets.

Chris Kermode, heads of the Association of Tennis Professionals, rejected claims evidence of match-fixing had “been suppressed for any reason or isn’t being thoroughly investigated”. Quite simply, he is the best and that is backed up by the fact that he won three of the four grand slams previous year and was runner-up at the other one – being the French Open.

But Stakhovsky wasn’t buying that. The TIU is neither…by operating in the shadows they fail to practice what they preach”, he said, calling for a “new independent and integrated integrity model. No they do not.

HEWITT KEEPS GOING: Lleyton Hewitt’s Australian Open retirement party continues when he plays eighth-seeded David Ferrer, a considerably tougher opposition than Hewitt’s first-round rival, fellow Australian James Duckworth. The ATP has categorically denied suppressing the evidence uncovered by investigators and said the information was not strong enough to merit any further enquiries.

“Tennis is not as lucrative for fixing as football or cricket”. “I couldn’t give my 100 percent, not even 30 per cent of my possibilities”, he said at the press conference after the match.

“We have to do something maybe to stop it before it happens”, he told CNN. Throughout his five matches he didn’t lose a set and the final against Rafael Nadal was a demolition job as he only dropped three games. Players who sign up to fix matches are paid strictly in cash so that there is no financial trail to link they to these match fixing allegations.