David Cameron calls for probe into match-fixing allegations

ATP president Chris Kermode has rejected allegations of match-fixing in tennis being ignored by officials after an investigation into corruption within the sport was released on the same day as the first Grand Slam of the year began, with the Australian Open overshadowed by claims of a betting scandal.

ATP officials say their integrity unit has dealt with all allegations appropriately, but an Australian senator believes the reports deserves more than a simply inquiry.

All players in question, including victor of Grand Slam titles, were allowed to continue competing at the top level of the sport.

“In a confidential report for the tennis authorities in 2008, the enquiry team said 28 players involved should be investigated but the findings were never followed up”, the BBC report mentioned.

The probe also allegedly uncovered syndicates in Russian Federation and Italy who made huge amount of money by betting on games that investigators think could be fixed.

The players have not been named because it would be hard to prove whether they took part in match fixing without having access to their personal records. It didn’t even get to me, the guy that was trying to talk to me, didn’t even get to me directly…Unfortunately in those times [there were] rumours, some talks, some people were going around.

The ATP discovered a suspicious betting system following a match between Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko, then world number three, and Argentina’s Martin Vassallo Arguello. Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt will play on Tuesday in his last Australian Open appearance.

He was offered over €100,000 to throw first-round matches in tournaments.

“From my knowledge and information about, you know, the match-fixing or anything similar, there is nothing happening on the top level”.

According to media reports, BBC and BuzzFeed News claimed they have seen secret files exposing evidence of widespread suspected corruption in tennis.

Steve Georgakis, a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney researching match-fixing in tennis, said top players often inexplicably lose to relatively unknown lower-ranked opponents in untelevised small tournaments of little outcome to the high seeds.

TIU director of integrity Nigel Willerton said they could ask for players’ electronic communication devices, though those requests could be refused. He declined to say whether any players at the Australian Open were being monitored for suspected match fixing.

“Tennis Integrity Unit anti-corruption investigations have resulted in 18 convictions, of which six have had life bans”.