Tennis Corruption: 48 Alerts Over Suspicious Betting, Match-Fixing In 2016 So Far

A world tennis anti-corruption unit reported on Friday that it received 48 alerts to suspicious betting and match-fixing between January and March of this year, including one case on the Australian Open.

The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), an organization dedicated to tackling the threat of fixed matches in tennis, announced the figures as the first in what will be a quarterly series of reports on its activity. These numbers were up from 31 cases of unusual or suspicious betting in the same period in 2015.

TIU also got one alert from the WTA Tour in addition to one in the Australian Open, with the other 46 cases of match-fixing being from lower-ranking tournaments at Futures or Challenger level, 36 of which were in men’s matches. The organization did not name any of the matches or the players involved in the scandal. The alerts are received from contacts in the betting industry, and TIU subsequently investigates anywhere corruption or illegal activity might be taking place.

Tennis corruption: 48 alerts over suspicious betting in 2016 – BBC Sport https://t.co/q91YSDen5q

— Tennis fans club (@Tennisfansclub) April 22, 2016

The report reinforces the idea that most corrupt activity in tennis takes place in the lower levels of the sport. Alerts to possible corruption are not necessarily indications of wrongdoing and should not be seen as evidence of match-fixing, since irregular betting that also be influenced by factors like incorrect odds setting, player fitness, player fatigue, or injury, as well as differing playing conditions.

“Every alert received by the TIU is assessed and followed up as an indicator that something inappropriate may have happened,” the TIU said, according to BBC News.

TIU also stressed that there were 24,110 professional matches played around the world during the first three months of 2016, and the number of red flags represents only 0.2 percent of matches. In total, 246 alerts were received in the whole of 2015.

The briefing note for the reports also gave an update on the independent review of anti-corruption practices within the tennis world, according to the Guardian. The review was set up after accusations that it had failed in its mission to properly investigate reports of match-fixing.

“Under the leadership of Adam Lewis QC, the work of the panel to date has included preliminary meetings with the sport’s governing bodies, collation of core documents and contact with persons of interest to obtain relevant information. In addition, the panel has identified a list of issues and areas of inquiry and begun a further schedule of interviews and research.”

Croatie un arbitre de #tennis suspendu 10 ans pour #corruption . pic.twitter.com/h6XFBCrkJO

— ? ????? (@Bibra39) April 21, 2016

The TIU was criticized by BBC News last year for a lack of transparency “after an investigation by the BBC and BuzzFeed News revealed 16 players who have been ranked inside the world’s top 50 were suspected of fixing matches over the past decade.”

BBC News reported that corruption was far more widespread within the sport than the TIU would have you believe, even up to the top levels of professional tennis, including Wimbledon. All of the top players investigated were allowed to continue playing despite TIU’s official zero-tolerance policy.

The organization is also pushing forward with an investigation into Australian tennis player Nick Lindahl, once in the world’s top 200, who was found guilty of match-fixing in a Sydney court and fined 1,000 Australian dollars. Lindahl allegedly threw a match in a tournament in Toowoomba that he and a friend of his had money on, the Telegraphreported.

“The court heard that Lindahl and Fox agreed that Lindahl would throw his match and his friend would bet on the outcome. Lindahl tried to convince his opponent to agree to the fix but he refused. Corbitt won 6-2, 6-3 and Lindahl was approached by the tournament authorities after the match. Lindahl later retired from the sport.”

The TIU worked closely with Australian authorities and law enforcement agencies on the case.

[Photo by Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images]