No Love In This Match: Match-Fixing Allegations Erupt During the Australian Open

Source: askthebookie.com

New evidence has just surfaced about match-fixing by players at the upper level of world tennis, as revealed by BuzzFeed News and the BBC. This isn’t the first time the tennis community has had to deal with suspected match-fixing. 16 players, all of whom have ranked in the top 50, have been repeatedly flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) over suspicions they have thrown matches.

In light of this evidence, the Australian Open has stopped bets on the matches. The police announced that they worked with Australian tennis officials throughout the tournament, hoping to point out any suspicious bets or performances.

Nick Lindahl, a former Australian Professional tennis player, has pleaded guilty to “deliberately losing a match in 2013 in order to obtain financial advantage.” When questioned by the police he simply responded, “That’s what tennis players do.”

The tennis community has had a very mixed reaction to the allegations that were brought about. Australian tennis legend John Newcombe said that any player found guilty of fixing matches should be banned for life. 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash told reporters that the issue had been blown “way out of proportion.” Claudia Merzbach, a spokeswoman for Mercedes-Benz, which is a sponsor of a number of tennis championships, said: “We are keeping a close eye on the investigations.”