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Roger
Federer of Switzerland celebrates after defeating Alexandr Dolgopolov of
Ukraine in their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championships
in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016.(AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
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Around the world,
players, commentators and fans echoed the call of Roger Federer, who wants to
know names of those suspected of match-fixing in a growing scandal that one
ex-pro described as a "major wake-up call for the world of tennis."
AP
report continues:
Many
called for clarity, saying the public and players have a right to know who is
suspected of cheating. Others warned that the match-fixing scandal has the
potential to damage the reputation of tennis, just like doping or corruption
scandals have hurt professional cycling, athletics, baseball and soccer.
Martina
Navratilova, the 18-time Grand Slam champion, tweeted: "We need facts, not
suppositions."
The
scandal broke Monday when the BBC and BuzzFeed News published reports — timed
for the start of the Australian Open — alleging that tennis authorities have
ignored widespread evidence of match-fixing involving 16 tennis players who
have ranked in the top 50 over the past decade.
BuzzFeed
titled its story, "The Tennis Racket," and said that half of those
16, including a Grand Slam winner, were at this year's Australian Open.
"This
really casts a very dark shadow on our sport right now," Mary Jo Fernandez
said on ESPN, as part of a panel discussion Wednesday on the controversy.
"Hopefully
because the world is watching, something will be done about it. We need to flag
who these players were," said Fernandez, a three-time Grand Slam finalist,
winner of two Grand Slam women's doubles titles and two Olympic gold medals.
Federer
was among the first to demand more information: "I would love to hear
names," the Swiss star said Monday at a post-match news conference.
Referring specifically to the claim about a former Grand Slam winner, he asked,
"Was it the player? Was it the support team? Who was it? Was it before?
Was it a doubles player, a singles player? Which Slam? It's so all over the
place. It's nonsense to answer something that is pure speculation."
His
comments have resonated with those who say not knowing leads to dangerous
speculation.
"This
is turning into a witch hunt," said Patrick McEnroe, a former French Open
doubles champion and captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team who was in Melbourne
commentating.
No.
1-ranked Novak Djokovic was put on the spot Wednesday at a post-match news
conference, where a reporter told him an Italian newspaper had just reported
that he "wanted to lose" a match in Paris in 2007.
"You
can pick any match that you like that the top player lost, and just create a
story out of it," Djokovic said.
"This
is now the main story in tennis, in the sports world, there's going to be a lot
of allegations," he said, calling it "just speculation" and
saying "it is not true."
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ATP
chairman Chris Kermode, right, and vice chairman Mark Young listen to
reporter's question during a press conference at the Australian Open tennis
championships in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. Chairman Kermode
and the Tennis Integrity United have rejected news reports that match-fixing
has gone unchecked in the sport. In reports published on the morning the
Australian Open began, the BBC and BuzzFeed News said secret files exposed
evidence of widespread suspected match-fixing at the top level of world tennis.
(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
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Until
now, the average fan may have had little idea that tennis is one of the most
gambled on sports in the world, with bookmakers actively taking bets mid-match.
Between matches at the Australian Open, tennis experts have explained the
mechanics of match-fixing, spelling out that it doesn't necessarily mean
throwing an entire match, but could involve taking money just to double-fault or
lose a set.
"We
in the tennis world have all heard the stories about this going on at the low
levels. No one knew it was happening at the Grand Slams," McEnroe said.
"Where there's smoke, there's fire. This is a major, major wake-up call
for the world of tennis."
The
BBC and BuzzFeed report prompted an immediate news conference by tennis'
governing bodies Monday in Melbourne Park, where representatives denied
allegations that any evidence about match-fixing had been suppressed. Officials
noted that the sport's anti-corruption division, the Tennis Integrity Unit, has
pursued 18 disciplinary cases that resulted in life bans from the sport for
five players and one official. It was set up in 2008, after a surge of suspicious
betting activity in tennis.
The
problem for investigators, they said, is that match-fixing is very difficult to
prove.
Many
fans have also been shocked to learn that some of the sport's top players have
been approached and offered big money to throw matches.
Djokovic
confirmed earlier in the week he was offered money to intentionally throw a
match. The 10-time Grand Slam champion said that he was not directly approached
but members of his support team were offered the money in Russia in 2007, an
offer the player said was immediately rejected.
During
a break in commentating for ESPN, Chris Evert said the scandal had deeply
affected her.
"I
have been so sad about this the last few days," the 18-time Grand Slam winner
said. "We as tennis players have always been so proud about the integrity
of our sport."
"Hopefully
the truth will come out," she said.
Andy
Roddick thinks it will. The 2003 U.S. Open winner tweeted that he and another
retired pro have been engaged in a guessing game: "Text I got from another
former tour pro 'we should see how many of the 16 betting guys we can name. I
think I got at least 8-9."
It's bound to come out,
Roddick said in another tweet: "In the age of leaks and social media, I
don't think secrets exist."
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| Novak Djokovic has denied ever fixing matches |
Novak Djokovic Dismisses
'Absurd' Claims Over Paris Defeat
Press
Association reports that world number one Novak Djokovic has strenuously denied
any connection to match-fixing.
Italian
newspaper Tuttosport featured allegations on Wednesday surrounding Djokovic's
match against France's Fabrice Santoro at the Paris Masters in 2007, that the
Serbian described as "absurd" and "not true".
Djokovic
was beaten by Santoro in the second round of the Paris tournament, losing 6-3
6-2.
The
claims were put to Djokovic following his 6-1 6-2 7-6 (7/3) win against
Frenchman Quentin Halys in the Australian Open second round, and the 10-time
grand slam champion denied committing any offence.
"It's
not true," Djokovic said.
"I've
lost that match. I don't know if you're trying to create a story about that
match or for that matter any of the matches of the top players losing in the
early rounds, I think it's just absurd."
Djokovic
added: "Anybody can create a story about any match. That's my point.
"There
haven't been too many matches where top players have lost in the last decade or
so in early rounds.
"You
can pick any match that you like that the top player lost and just create a
story out of it.
"I
think it's not supported by any kind of proof, any evidence, any facts. It's
just speculation. So I don't think there is a story about it."
At
the time of his loss to Santoro, Djokovic said he had not been at peak physical
fitness having undergone surgery to remove two wisdom teeth.
He
said he had not practised for a week and was not able to play to "even 30
per cent" of his ability.
Asked
on Wednesday if he would take action against Tuttosport, Djokovic said: "I
have nothing more to say, guys. If you have any other questions on any other
subject, I'm ready to talk about this. I have nothing more to say."
Djokovic
had previously explained how he turned down a bribe made to him in 2006, when
he was offered 200,000 US dollars - £141,000 on the current exchange rate - to
lose a first-round match in St Petersburg.
He
said the approach never reached him as it was rejected by his team, but that it
made him feel "terrible" and that match-fixing was a "crime in
sport".
Asked
if the latest allegations saddened him, Djokovic said: "Of course. You
don't want these kind of subjects or speculations going around.
"I
think that certain media is just trying to create a story out of it without any
proof. So as long as it's like that, it's just a story. That's all."
The
report follows an investigation carried out by the BBC and Buzzfeed, which
claimed 16 players who have ranked in the top 50 were repeatedly flagged up to
the sport's authorities over suspicion of match-fixing but no further action
was taken.
On
Tuesday, an unidentified former South American tennis player said on the BBC's
World Have Your Say programme that fixing issues were ''like a secret on the
tour that everybody knows, but we don't talk about it.. You know who is doing
it, and who is not... We just see it and keep working''.
The
Tennis Integrity Unit, under scrutiny after the BBC and Buzzfeed allegations,
has called for any players who have concerns over possible match-fixing to come
forward.
''The
TIU and the tennis authorities absolutely reject any suggestion that evidence
of match-fixing has been suppressed for any reason," the organisation said
in a statement.
''We
invite the player behind the allegations to make contact with the TIU and to
share the information he claims to have.''
French
Open champion Stan Wawrinka, meanwhile, has countered Andy Murray's criticism
of betting companies sponsoring grand slams.
Wawrinka
believes their involvement and co-operation should be a useful tool in
preventing corruption.
A
number of tennis events have been partnered by gambling companies in recent
years, with William Hill a major sponsor of the Australian Open while the most
high-profile tournament in Germany is known as the Bet-At-Home Open.
Wawrinka
said: "I'm sure corruption and problems for a gambling website or gambling
company, it's not good.
"Probably
if they sponsor a sport, they are going to try everything to make sure there is
no corruption.
"That
can be maybe something good for tennis also. Maybe the gambling company can
come to the tennis and make sure there is no corruption, because they lose a
lot of money when there is a problem.
"For tennis, it's not
good to have some corruption, but for the gambling company neither. So I think
it can be only positive." 
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