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 Tennis authorities rejected reports by the BBC and online BuzzFeed
News, which said 16 players who have been ranked in the top 50 had
been repeatedly flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) over
suspicions they had thrown matches in the past decade.
Eight of those players were taking part in the Australian Open, the
BBC and BuzzFeed News said.
The media reports, which follow corruption scandals in world soccer
and athletics, created a stir at the event at Melbourne Park, with
players expressing surprise at the allegations.
"When I'm playing, I can only answer for me, I play very hard, and
every player I play seems to play hard," women's world number one
Serena Williams told reporters.
"If that's going on, I don't know about it."
Men's world number seven Kei Nishikori of Japan said he had not
heard of any incidence of match-fixing.
The BBC and BuzzFeed News said the TIU, set up to police illegal
activities in tennis, either failed to act upon information that
identified suspicious behavior amongst players, or impose any
sanctions.
All of the 16 players, including winners of grand slam titles, were
allowed to continue competing, the media reports added.
TIU director of integrity Nigel Willerton told reporters in
Melbourne he would not comment on whether any players on the pro
tour were under investigation, saying it would be inappropriate to
do so.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the findings by the BBC
and BuzzFeed News, which said they had obtained documents that
included the findings of an investigation set up in 2007 by the
Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of
men's professional tennis.
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.
"The Tennis Integrity Unit and the tennis authorities absolutely
reject any suggestion that evidence of match fixing has been
suppressed for any reason or isn't being thoroughly investigated,"
said ATP chairman Chris Kermode.
"While the BBC and BuzzFeed reports mainly refer to events from
about 10 years ago, we will investigate any new information,"
Kermode told a hastily arranged media conference at Melbourne Park.
BETTING SYNDICATES
The media reports said the 2007 ATP inquiry found betting syndicates
in Russia, northern Italy and Sicily making hundreds of thousands of
pounds betting on games which investigators thought to be fixed.
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Three of these games were at Wimbledon.
In a confidential report for tennis authorities in 2008, the inquiry
team said 28 players involved in those games should be investigated
but the findings were never followed up, the news organizations
said.
Tennis authorities introduced a new anti-corruption code in 2009 but
after taking legal advice were told previous corruption offences
could not be pursued, they added.
Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia chief executive and Australian Open
tournament director, said the Melbourne event had robust
anti-corruption systems place.
"All involved in the administration of the Australian Open will not
tolerate any deviations from our values and rules at any level,"
Tiley said.
Kermode added he was disappointed the story had taken attention away
from the tournament.
"We are confident that the Tennis Integrity Unit is doing what it
can and tackles this issue very, very seriously," Kermode said.
TIU investigations had resulted in sanctions against 18 players,
with six issued life bans, he added.
Kermode also rejected suggestions the TIU was under-resourced and
did not have necessary enforcement powers.
Tennis authorities have pumped about $14 million into
anti-corruption programs, Kermode added.
TIU's Willerton said they could ask for players' electronic
communication devices, though those requests could be refused.
"If they don't then consent ... that's called non-cooperation, and
they can be reported and sanctioned for non-cooperation," Willerton
said.
Independent Australian Senator Nick Xenophon said sports regulators
were not rigorous enough and that the very nature of tennis made it
possible to engage in spot fixing, where single events are
manipulated to affect live betting odds.
(Additional reporting by Martyn Herman in LONDON and Matt Siegel in
SYDNEY; Editing by Dean Yates)
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