Djokovic, who said he rejected an indirect offer of money to fix a match in 2006, said he was not aware of any match-fixing at the top of the sport.
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World No 1 Novak Djokovic said a member of his staff was approached about fixing a match early in his career, and he questioned whether betting companies should be allowed to sponsor big tennis tournaments. “It falls under the ATP’s purview and organisers can do little about it. For instance, Nadal lost to Verdasco in Australian Open today but we cannot begin to speculate everything”, he told TOI. Djokovic claimed that the people who approached him were amongst the few who worked with him at the time, and he was offered $200,000 to fix a match at a tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Although the TIU had hired experienced investigators from British Horse Racing who flagged up suspicious matches, the TIU chose to ignore it and so the match fixing continued.
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga demanded the chair umpire give his opponent and fans code violations in their first round Australian Open match last night.
“The Tennis Integrity Unit and the tennis authorities absolutely reject any suggestion that any evidence of match fixing has been suppressed for any reason or isn’t being thoroughly investigated”.
“It made me feel awful because I don’t want to be anyhow linked to this kind of – you know, somebody may call it an opportunity”, he said.
The key group of 16 suspect players had not been targeted in any crackdown, it said, questioning the effectiveness of the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU).
Novak Djokovic, speaking at the sidelines of the ongoing Australian Open, said there was no room for corruption in the sport.
“It’s thrown around. It’s so easy to do that”, Federer said of the claims after beating Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia in straight sets to cruise into the second round in Melbourne. We have, I think, a sport (that has) evolved and upgraded our programs and authorities to deal with these particular cases.
Williams said she has also never seen any indication of malpractice on the women’s tour.
Phillips wasn’t alone in his criticism of the tennis body.
“I would like to hear the names”, 34-year-old Federer told reporters when asked to comment on claims that Grand Slam champions were among the players involved and that eight of them were playing in the Australian Open. I think that as an athlete, I do everything I can to be not only great, but historic. “It didn’t even get to me”.
I just can not fathom professional players attempting to throw games away, especially when they’ve worked so hard to get to such a level.
On Monday, the TIU’s director of integrity Nigel Willerton said the body’s hands were tied in obtaining evidence because players and their support teams aren’t obliged to hand over, for instance, phone records and emails. Since then, the reports said, the ATP has repeatedly been warned about numerous same players, but hasn’t taken any action against them.
“Not that I’m aware of”, the American said.
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“There was a core of about 10 players who we believed were the most common perpetrators that were at the root of the problem”, he explained.
