There is an ongoing investigation into the possibility of Wimbledon match fixing. There are no details that have come to light so far. Some speculate involvement of a British player in Wimbledon match fixing. The allegations also spread to one of the matches played in the French Open during last year’s second quarter. These details were made available by the Tennis Integrity Unit.
Matches Triggering Wimbledon Match Fixing Alert
Two of the matches played at the qualifying event in Roehampton, and one for a draw at SW19 may come under scrutiny. There are no visible signs of match fixing as yet. However, the Tennis Integrity Unit will review the unusual betting pattern on these matches. There is no word about the players involved or the games played.
Alerts May or May Not Have Betting Behind
TIU will review the tennis matches to access the possibility of Wimbledon match fixing. However, the investigating unit says that an alert may not necessarily result in pointing towards fixing of a game. TIU has received 53 warnings from April this year with three for the men’s ATP Tour and one for the women’s WTA Tour. The other warnings came from lower level tennis played at Futures, Challengers, and IT Women’s circuits.
There is an apparent drop in the total number of alerts from last year. Last year, Tennis Integrity Unit received around 73 alerts. During the first six months this year it has got around 83 alerts, 38 less from the previous year for the same period. The Grand Slam events usually get less number of alerts in comparison to the lower level tournaments.
A Bit of History About Match-Fixing in Tennis and Need for TIU
Some media outlets back in 2016 alleged that match-fixing was widely prevalent in the game of tennis. It was particularly more rampant (as per them) in higher levels of the match. They indicated a core group of players who were involved in incidents suggesting the possibility of betting. However, as per these media organizations, tennis authorities did not take any action against them. Some also suggested that they also involved winners of singles and doubles titles at major events like grand slams.
There were stories of matching fixing in tennis a decade ago as well. However, there was no investigating authority to ensure transparency in the game. Therefore, ITU was formed back in 2008. The TIU is now an active body which takes into account all the alerts that it receives about betting. Therefore, it will probe into this matter to see what lies beneath the surface of these Wimbledon match fixing allegations.
