It’s only the second first-round loss in a major tournament for the former world No. 1, and the upset was the headline of the tournament so far – or, at least, it would have been.
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“Close partnerships between regulated and licensed betting operators like William Hill and sporting bodies are part of the solution to integrity issues, not part of the problem”, said group director of security, Bill South, in a statement.
The report, which also alleges that one top-50 player competing in the Australian Open is suspected of “repeatedly fixing his first set”, did not name the implicated players, saying it couldn’t definitively prove they were involved in illegal activities.
Meanwhile, a rampaging Roger Federer kicked off his 17th Australian Open campaign with a 6-2 6-1 6-2 demolition of Georgian battler Nikoloz Basilashvili to reach the second round. Was it a doubles player, a singles player?
Novak Djokovic is probably secretly hoping that Andy Murray’s wife Kim Sears has the baby during the Australian Open 2016 so that he can have an easy pass into the next round.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter resigned and was banned for eight years after he was found to have made a “disloyal payment” to UEFA counterpart Michel Platini, while officials at the IAAF continue to come under scrutiny from the French police and the World Anti-Doping Agency over a conspiracy to cover up doping in athletics.
“We have, I think, a sport (that has) evolved and upgraded our programs and authorities to deal with these particular cases”, he said.
“… He’s one of the players that people are talking about as a potential top player in the future”.
“I haven’t played in a long time, but I have been playing for 30 years so – I try to focus on that”, said Williams, who withdrew from the Hopman Cup earlier this month after playing just one set because of inflammation in her left knee. She reached the quarterfinals at the Australian and U.S. Opens – the first and last majors of the year.
Federer added: “We need to make sure the integrity of the game is always maintained because without that, I always would say, why do you come and watch this match tonight or any match?”
John Templon, the BuzzFeed reporter who collaborated on the report, told NPR’s All Things Considered that the exposé was meant to serve as a call to action for tennis authorities to crack down on match-fixing and betting in the sport. Who was it? Was it before?
“A nice opening match with real Australian summer conditions”, said Djokovic after embarking on his quest to match Roy Emerson’s record of six Australian Open crowns.
Nishikori struggled with a series of injuries last year, but said he was feeling sharp after his first match in Melbourne. The duo has won the Australian Open six times, last taking the title in 2013, and they reworked their training methods and offseason habits this winter to help themselves regroup. There was nothing out of it.
“But I think physically I was really good on the court”.
Djokovic, the five-time champ of the season’s first grand slam event, dispatched the 52nd-ranked Chung 3-0 (6-3, 6-2, 6-4) at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. She raised her Grand Slam first-round record to 61-1 with her lone opening-round loss coming to Virginie Razzano at the 2012 Roland Garros.
Williams said she needed the break to recharge at the end of last season and felt OK about her limited preparation.
“I have all the respect for Venus in the world”. He called it unfortunate that “the attention of the first Grand Slam of the year is more on that than the Australian Open”.
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Kermode said the integrity unit had been formed in 2008 as a joint initiative of the International Tennis Federation, the ATP, the WTA and the Grand Slam Board to combat corruption in the wake of the Sopot investigation. While Giorgi upped her energy as the match wore on, Williams, 34, showcased her defensive game, thwarting her Italian opponent’s aggressive baseline play with agile side-to-side movement.
