The two top players in the men’s and women’s game have spoken about an investigation into match fixing conducted by the BBC and Buzzfeed News.
Novak Djokovic spoke to the media about the report following his first round win at the Australian Open. The report, which analyzed 26,000 matches, has alleged that eight players involved in match fixing are playing in this week’s Australian Open. Whilst there are numerous rumors circulating the tennis tour following the report, Djokovic has dismissed it as ‘speculation’.
“I don’t think the shadow is cast over our sport,” he said.
“There’s no real proof or evidence yet of any active players … as long as it’s like that, it’s just speculation. We have to keep it that way.”
Despite his dismissal of the investigation, Djokovic admitted that when he was a teenager, he was asked to throw a match but he declined. The Serbian was approached via members of his team and there was no direct contact. He was reportedly offered $200,000 to participate. Reflecting on the experience, the world No.1 talked about the negative feelings he felt due to the encounter.
“[The approach] made me feel terrible because I don’t want to be anyhow linked to this kind of thing,” he said.
“Somebody may call it an opportunity. For me, that’s an act of unsportsmanship, a crime in sport, honestly. I don’t support it”.
Meanwhile Serena Williams has also briefly spoken about the report and gave a somewhat political response.
“I can only answer for me. I play very hard and every player that I play seems to play hard,” she told reporters after her first-round win over Camila Giorgi.
“As an athlete I do everything I can to be, not only great, but historic and if that’s going on, I don’t know about. Sometimes I’m in a bubble.”
Roger Federer has called for the names of the 16 players to be released. In his after match press conference, which was dominated by questions about match fixing, the 17-time Grand Slam champion said that players should be supported in these scenarios.
“I would like to hear the name. I would love to hear names. Then at least it’s concrete stuff and you can actually debate about it”. The 34-year-old said.
“It’s so all over the place. It’s nonsense to answer something that is pure speculation”.
Whilst the players have hit out at the report, there are still some unanswered questions. The Tennis Integrity Unit said that they will investigate any new evidence given to them from the BBC and Buzzfeed News, however, they have refrained from reviewing their previous investigations. There is also questions looming over Argentina’s Martin Vassallo Arguello, who reportedly exchanged 82 text messages between him and a bettor in Sicily. One of the conversations, reads the following:-
Gambler texted Arguello asking: “Are you awake? Can I call you?”
Several hours later he tried again.
“I would like to talk to you because the match,” the retrieved message said, before it broke off.
Arguello responded: “He doesn`t want to do it. He intends to win.”
Shortly before the match Arguello texted the gambler again: “All okay.”
The Australian Investigation
In another development, Fairfax media sources have reported that the Victorian police Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit conducted a match fixing investigation last week concerning the Australian Open. The report details that local tennis officials was approached by the police and ask about what first round matches could be fixed.
A former top 70 Australian player told Fairfax that he was approached weekly by people asking him to throw matches. Following Friday’s draw for the first Grand Slam of 2016, one unnamed Australian player was approached by the Unit and asked if they see any ‘suspicious matches’.
The ongoing report alleges that current and former players believe that match fixing ‘is rife in the sport’. Meanwhile a former top 30 player has lashed out at the ATP. He has accused them of ‘turning their back’ concerning suspicious retirements in matches.
There has been no comment from the sports governing body regarding the Australian investigation.
