Last week I wrote a story for Ubitennis about how the Murray family could be compared to a Mafia. Little did I know, that a week later, tennis is closer to organised crime than we thought. I woke up today to revelations about match fixing taking place at the top level of tennis. With evidence that money was coming from Russia, Northern Italy and Sicily, I couldn’t help, but think of the Mafia link. This is something no to be joked about though, some accused are Grand Slam Title winners. If true, this could become the biggest shock in Tennis in recent memory.
What Has Been Uncovered?
The BBC and Buzzfeed News uncovered secret files, which contain evidence of match fixing taking place in tennis. The information, which is from the last decade, has revealed that 16 players, who rank in the top 50, have been singled out by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) as being suspicious. The accusations have been levelled at some players who have won Grand Slam Doubles titles, and even includes matches at Wimbledon.
The highest profile player who has had his say on the matter, is the biggest player on the planet, Novak Djokovic. Djokovic revealed that he himself had been approached as a young player through his team/people, but he does not think that it is as prevalent as it was then. It is true that some of the information concerns events which happened many years ago , but should that mean we ignore it?
One match that was specifically focused on by the TIU, was the match between Nikolay Davydenko and Martin Arguello in August 2007. Mark Davies, CEO of Betfair, has said that a group of unknown Russians put millions on Arguello to win with them which raised concerns. Davydenko duly retired from the match with a foot injury and forfeited, but because of the anomalies Betfair had voided all bets. Both players were interviewed by an investigation team at the time, but were not found to be guilty. Mark Phillips who was part of the team said this year that 2007 was an opportunity to ‘nip it in the bud’, and reveal what has been going on in Tennis.
What Will Be Done?
The due course of anyone found guilty of match fixing is a lifetime ban. Just ask former professional Daniel Koellerer, who was found guilty and banned from tennis for life in 2011, he pleads his innocence. The problem that Tennis have is the inefficient TIU, and its capabilities of dealing with a scandal of this size. To date the TIU has only 5 full time employees and has not really been a strong force in the game. In its history only 7 players have been punished, and 1 official. This is despite the European Sport Security Association declaring Tennis, more suspicious in gambling circles, than any other sport. The association had flagged up 50 incidents in 2015 to the TIU and yet nothing has been done about any.
The type of players who are likely to be involved in the scandal are not going to be big names however. At the top level Tennis is highly payed, and the temptation is less, than for instance in cycling. Only 1 of the players who was banned by the TIU had made the top 200. Players outside of that bracket can’t expect to earn anything more than £40,000. Take out expenses and coaching to play on tour, and these players will be barely earning enough to live on, let alone deciding what they will do afterwards with no savings. It can be easy to see why they would be attracted by easy money.
The Solution
It is hard to pinpoint the solution. Of course the TIU needs to be much larger, and have a much further reach. If what the European Sports Security Association is saying is true, it is criminal to have such a small team working on it when it is so rife. There could be an argument for the trickledown effect of money and taking money from the top of the game, but with the big four drawing in crowds it is hard to imagine anything changing in a financial sense.
I am afraid that this situation could drag on for a very long time, and don’t expect to see anything drastic to happen soon. The Australian Open has just started bookmakers and betting tips sites are nervous over outcomes. So the timing seems to be intended, with certain players involved in the allegations taking part. This day though could be a catalyst for major changes in how the game is policed, so remember it. Not just as the first day of the Australian Open, but also the unveiling of the dark side of Tennis.
