Charges of Cheating in Tennis
January 20, 2016
Charges have been raised of widespread match fixing in men’s professional tennis. A report issued this week by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and an American Internet media company called BuzzFeed News claims that not only have matches been fixed, but that tennis authorities knew of the problem but ignored it.
The report did not name players, but it stated that the fixing involves a group of 16 players who have been ranked in the top 50, including a US Open champion. Eight of the players were participating in the 2016 Australian Open in Melbourne, which runs from January 18 to January 31. The matches were fixed to affect betting odds.
Tennis authorities were quick to reject the report. The chairman of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which oversees men’s professional tennis, said tennis authorities “absolutely reject any suggestion that evidence of match fixing has been suppressed for any reason or isn’t being thoroughly investigated…. While the BBC and BuzzFeed reports refer to events from about 10 years ago, we will investigate any new information.”
The media reports stated that a 2007 ATP inquiry found betting syndicates in Russia, Italy, and Sicily made hundreds of thousands of dollars betting on matches that investigators believed were fixed. A 2008 confidential report for tennis authorities claimed that 28 players involved in the Wimbledon tournament should be investigated, but the accusations were never addressed.
A number of leading players said they are unaware of any match fixing today. Men’s champion Novak Djokovic said rumors existed of match fixing in the past and that they were dealt with, but that he hasn’t heard anything in the past 6 or 7 years. He did say that in 2007 someone tried to offer him about $200,000 to lose a first-round match in Russia. He said the offer was immediately rejected. Women’s champion Serena Williams said she had heard nothing about match fixing, and Roger Federer said he wanted to hear names. “It’s nonsense,” he said, “to answer something that is pure speculation.”