EVERYONE knows it is going on. The sentence was spoken in 2007 by Andy Murray to the BBC. The words led to a rift between the tennis player and the broadcaster because he believed his words were taken out of context.
The Scot was pointing out that players were being approached by betting syndicates, not saying matches were being lost deliberately. His statement did not so much start alarm bells ringing as reinforce whispers that had been circulating in the sport for some time.
Almost a decade on, the story has broken with a resounding crash. Sadly, there is only limited surprise at the findings of an investigation by Buzzfeed and the BBC. It has long been accepted that the Challenger and Futures circuits were vulnerable to match fixing or correct score betting. These matches are contested by players whose earnings are mostly consumed by the expenses of competing. They are, at best, fighting for the ranking points that will take them on to a life on the main tour. At worst, they are easy prey for professional gambling syndicates.
The question as to why there are so few whistleblowers among players who have been approached is answered bluntly by noting the identity of those who seek to seduce them financially. The syndicates are believed to be Russian and Italian. They will not be run by the local Rotary Clubs. These gangs may accept a polite refusal but a referral of an approach to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) by any player would be an act of courage.
The most surprising statement in the Buzzfeed/BBC investigation is that “over the last decade, 16 players who have ranked in the top 50 have been repeatedly flagged to the TIU over suspicions they have thrown matches”. This indicates the problem is not confined to the Challenger and Futures tours as does the claim that some of the 16 players are “grand slam winners”. Eight of the players under suspicion will play in the Australian Open in Melbourne this week.
Tennis has committed £10 million since the ATP, the governing body, set up an inquiry into match fixing in 2007. It now will be pressured to do more and the publicity may bring about convictions and subsequent suspensions. However, the trapping of corrupt players is a highly labour-intensive business that involves rigorous investigation of not only results but of telephone records and bank accounts.
TIU investigations have resulted in sanctions against 18 players, with six issued life bans. But these are all players who are not household names in their own household. There will be a justifiable clamour to name and shame those “top 50” players on the Buzzfeed/BBC list. It will be resisted by the authorities. Proof far beyond a reasonable doubt will have to be found before the authorities embark on what could be a highly expensive route of taking on the lawyers of accused players.
Many in the sport are hoping that the alarm caused by the revelations will stop the match fixing now that a limited light has been shone upon it. Their naivety would be endearing if it was not so dangerous. Tennis gambling is thought to run second only to football in world terms. This is a market where fortunes can be made, not only in the outcome of matches but in spot betting, that is, number of sets, number of double faults etc. It needs to be policed more thoroughly as the clamour simply to ban tennis betting ignores the reality that much of it takes place on illegal markets.
Tennis is thus under siege in a grand slam week on an issue that has been simmering dangerously for almost a decade. But the gambling scandal is not the only threat to the integrity of the sport. Increasingly, there are concerns about drug use in tennis. High-profile players such as Marin Cilic, winner of the 2014 US Open, and Viktor Troicki, winner of the Sydney Open this week, have both served bans over drug offences.
Murray and Roger Federer have become increasingly vocal in calling for increased testing. The world’s No.2 and No.3-ranked players used press conferences at the world tour finals in London in November to question a system they regard as inadequate. “I do think the more transparency, the better,” Murray said then. Federer added: “I don’t understand that sometimes you have a run and you win a couple of events and the next thing you know, you haven’t been tested. It just can’t be that way. I’m always surprised [when] I win a tournament, I walk off the court and it’s like, where’s the doping guy?”
The gambling issue is now being addressed, however inadequately. The doping issue has the capacity to dwarf it in terms of both high-profile culprits and long-term damage to the sport. Tennis is holding its breath.
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