Match-fixing claims rock tennis world

The report prompted a swift denial from authorities that any evidence of match-fixing had been suppressed, as well as speculation over the identities of the players involved.

The BBC and BuzzFeed News said they had not named any players because without access to their phone, bank and computer records, it was not possible to determine whether they took part in match-fixing.

A black cloud now hangs over the grand slam, but it can’t overshadow Andy Murray’s hopes of winning his first Australian Open.

The authors of the report suggested that the findings of a 2007 enquiry into the Solpot match should have been used to pursue a group of around 10 regular match-fixers, at least eight of whom are still in the game and were due to play at the Australian Open.

Roger Federer has called for tennis to get “super-aggressive” against match-fixing after news broke of a host of suspicious betting patterns that have placed the integrity of the whole sport in doubt.

Two news organizations say corruption in professional tennis continues because tennis authorities do not stop it. “None of them was disciplined by the TIU”.

The reports said none of these players had faced sanctions and more than half would be playing at this year’s Australian Open, which started Sunday.

Djokovic claims he was offered $200,000 to throw the match. I think you should be learning of (corruption) when you’re 15, 16, 17 years old.

“The idea that tennis is not acting appropriately is ludicrous”.

Chris Kermode, head of the Association of Tennis Professionals, rejected that there is full proof evidence of fixing.

“It was a substantial amount of money – tens of thousands – way more than I would have earned from winning the tournament and more than most players at that level would make in a year”. Everything that comes into the unit is actioned, it’s assessed.

“All credible information received by the TIU is analyzed, assessed, and investigated by highly experienced former law-enforcement investigators”.

More players revealed match-fixing approaches on Tuesday as the Australian Open Grand Slam tournament came under close scrutiny following claims that corruption in tennis was widespread.

The report also accuses the Tennis Integrity Unit, which was created following the 2008 probe, of not sufficiently pursuing and prosecuting allegations of match-fixing.

Kermode, however, cited the match at Sopot in Poland in 2007 between the then world No4 Nikolay Davydenko and Martín Vassallo Arguello, who was 87 in the world, which Arguello won when the Russian retired.

Djokovic was also asked about the propriety of betting companies being sponsors of major tennis tournaments, even if there had never been allegations that such companies were involved in any wrongdoing.

“One of the reasons why tennis is a popular and clean sport is because it has always valued its integrity”, he added. In its investigations, the Tennis Integrity Unit [set up by the ATP to monitor betting patterns] has to find evidence, as opposed to information, suspicion or hearsay.

“I think the more proactive you are with educating young players the better on matters like this”, Murray told reporters in Melbourne after a first-round win over Alexander Zverev, one of those younger players at 18.

“There is a zero tolerance policy on this”.