Lorenzo Musetti believes the presence of bettors at tennis matches is a widespread issue and the ATP needs to do more to address the problem.
There have been numerous incidents of people in the crowds at various tournaments, particularly at lower-level events, caught courtsiding. A method where bettors use technology to transmit live data to others in order for them to place high stakes bets on things that have already taken place but haven’t yet been identified on betting websites. There have also been incidents of players being heckled by fans and threatened on social media. According to one study conducted by Signify Group’s Threat Matrix service, 77% of the abuse players received online were linked to gambling.
“It happened a lot of times, not just in Italy, but in every part of the world,” Musetti said after beating Francisco Cerundolo at the Italian Open.
“Unfortunately, there’s still this problem that we see sometimes, especially in some matches, which is pretty clear that there are some people from the crowd who bet and that they are cheering for the ones that maybe at that time it’s not the home favourite, or they disturb the game.”
The ATP already has various rules in place to address gambling at tournaments, including a recommendation to use ‘web filtering’ software to prevent access to betting sites. Media zones are declared ‘gambling-free zones’ and anybody caught breaking this rule or trying to pass on insider information will have their credentials revoked. Companies associated with tennis betting are not allowed to display their logos or any endorsement on players’ clothing during tournaments.
However, Musetti argues that more needs to be done to address those who attend tournaments and engage in controversial betting methods.
“The only thing that we can do is try to avoid these people,” he said.
“The ATP for sure has to do something and have some security that can check a little bit from the grounds because we cannot do much on the court.”
Musetti is through to the fourth round of the Italian Open, where he will next play Casper Ruud. It is the fourth time he has reached the last 16 in Rome out of six appearances. He is required to reach at least the semi-finals of this year’s event to avoid falling out of the world’s top 10 next week.
