Top tennis players involved in match-fixing; BBC investigation

Eight players who have been, or are currently suspected, of participating in match-fixing are in the main draw of the 2016 Australian open, according to a joint investigation by the BBC and Buzzfeed.

The BBC claims a joint investigation with Buzzfeed shows over 16 players ranked in the top 50 have been repeatedly flagged by a Tennis Integrity Unit of the Association of Tennis Professionals over suspicions they have thrown matches, as well as having evidence of suspected rigging at major tournaments including Wimbledon.

The evidence uncovered by the investigation includes leaked internal documents, as well as betting analysis on 26,000 tennis matches.

The match fixing was allegedly orchestrated by gambling rings from Russia and Italy, offering players US$50,000 for each fix. According to the report, there has been a lack of willingness by tennis authorities to pursue investigations. “If they were really serious about dealing with this, then they really need to create an integrity unit with teeth,” said Benn Gunn, a former police chief constable whose original review of betting in tennis led to the creation of the TIU.

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