Tennis' match fixing scandal

They weren't doping, so it's not a big deal.

the governing body is on the take

Tennis? Aren't they a rung or two below T&F? Sorry, you're going to have to do better than that - and no, a breaking story about PBA bowlers' beer bellies and how that gives them a tactical advantage doesn't cut the mustard either.

some lunatic wrote:

the governing body is on the take

That is certainly one reasonable explanation.

Jefe in the CO wrote:

Tennis? Aren't they a rung or two below T&F? Sorry, you're going to have to do better than that - and no, a breaking story about PBA bowlers' beer bellies and how that gives them a tactical advantage doesn't cut the mustard either.

You don't have to read it if you don't want to. I just thought it was a well-written and interesting article. It has some parallels to governance in the IAAF, but not that much. Just something I came across on my day off.

Jefe in the CO wrote:

Tennis? Aren't they a rung or two below T&F? Sorry, you're going to have to do better than that - and no, a breaking story about PBA bowlers' beer bellies and how that gives them a tactical advantage doesn't cut the mustard either.

Slow day in billiards, I guess.

Geez. Why would Grand Slam winners get involved in this kind of thing? The prize money for winning a Grand Slam is in the millions. Why drop a game for $50K when ~$3m is on the line?

poor decision wrote:

Geez. Why would Grand Slam winners get involved in this kind of thing? The prize money for winning a Grand Slam is in the millions. Why drop a game for $50K when ~$3m is on the line?

Well, not sure if you have read the article or not. The dropped matches are mainly at smaller tournaments, where the entire prize money is relatively small but the gambling profits to be made are many, many times that. Not all of the people involved were highly ranked, for some of them 50,000 was a lot of money, especially in an up and down sport with no guarantees and high expenses.

Have you seen the list?

Just about any Italian that's been decent in the last 10 years is on it.

Funny stuff.

Which Grant were they slamming? Was it Grant Long? The Pell Grant maybe?

Mr. Obvious wrote:

Well, not sure if you have read the article or not. The dropped matches are mainly at smaller tournaments, where the entire prize money is relatively small but the gambling profits to be made are many, many times that. Not all of the people involved were highly ranked, for some of them 50,000 was a lot of money, especially in an up and down sport with no guarantees and high expenses.

Okay, makes more sense (I just skimmed the article and read the bullet points).

Still kind of surprising that anyone who's won a major would get involved in this kind of thing, even if it's only at minor tournaments. I get why a lower ranked guy might be enticed, but I can't see risking that kind of damage to your career when you've already made millions from the sport. Even guys like Cilic and Wawrinka can't exactly be hurting for cash.

Well, without a lot more information it is impossible to really be more specific.

It could be that a player got involved in match-fixing before they had made big money and then later went on to win a grand slam. It could be that the person is from Italy or Russia (where two of the syndicates were based) and has other ties or reasons to be threatened or coerced. Just two possible reasons. Francesca Schiavone would be a person who might fit both parts of that profile--not a historically notable player and won a grand slam late in her career. Not saying she was one of the players, just saying that is a plausible narrative for a Grand Slam winner who might be involved.

Haven't seen that list.

So, in googling around I found this list of relatively obscure players who have been banned by the Tennis Integrity Unit:

Alexandros Jakupovic:

A former member of Greece’s Davis Cup team, Japukovic was banned for life in December 2015 after he was found guilty of five corruption charges. The 34-year-old Jakupovic is currently ranked 616.

Piotr Gadomski and Arkadiusz Kocyla

Gadomski and Kocyla, both Polish tennis players, were banned for seven and five years, respectively, in September 2015 after they were found guilty of offences under the “Tennis Anti-Corruption Program”. Gadomski, 25, retired from the sport last year, while the 22-year-old Kocyla is currently ranked 937. Both players were also fined $15,000.

Ivo Klec

In August 2015, 34-year-old Slovakian tennis player Ivo Klec was suspended by the TIU for two years for failing to cooperate with its investigations. He was also fined $10,000 for the offence.

Walter Trusendi and Elie Rousset

The TIU suspended Italian player Walter Trusendi for six months in March 2015 for breaches of TIU’s Uniform Anti-Corruption Programme. Frenchman Elie Rousset was handed a six-month ban, three of those suspended due to good behaviour. The duo were fined $5000 for their offence.

Morgan Lamri

In November 2014, the TIU banned 22-year-old Lamri, a French tennis player and official, for life for his involvement in gambling and match-fixing. He was banned for violations of the TIU’s Uniform Anti-Corruption Programme.

Black list

Philipp Kohlschreiber

Potito Starace

Andreas

Seppi, Fabio Fognini

Janko Tipsarevic

Michael Llodra

Nikolay Davydenko

Teymuraz Gabashvili

Victor Crivoi

Christophe Rochus

Oscar Hernandez

Yevgeny Korolev

Filippo Volandri

Wayne Odesnik

Victoria Azarenka

Agnieszka Radwanska

Francesca Schiavone

Sara Errani

Maria Kirilenko

Kateryna Bondarenko

... And 21 on the warning list: Brian Dabul, Eduardo Scwhank, Jeremy Chardy, Simone Bolelli, Lukasz Kubot, Carlos Berlocq, Igor Kunitsyn, Andrey Golubev, Alex Bogomolov, Somdev Devvar-husband, Steve Darcis, Marin Cilic, Flavio Cipolla, Ivo Karlovic, Viktor Troicki, Flavia Pennetta, Roberta Vinci, Virginie Razzano, Romina Oprandi, Dominika Cibulkova, Eleni Daniilidou. Involved in this year's Stockholm Open.

That's a list from a Swedish newspaper of the people who have had dodgy betting patterns in matches they've lost.

dingle wrote:

They weren't doping, so it's not a big deal.

They haven't had that scandal yet. There is no other explanation for their endurance performances day after day, one as good as the last.

The last time I checked, they don't even have a "no needles" policy. Which, let's face it, rules don't really matter as long as the viewers are tuning in.

Awesome, can you post the source? That is what I have been looking for. Some big names on that list.

What does Black List mean? Does that mean they've been banned?

Between fixing and doping, that is quite a matrix of iniquity. If T&F had any betting it would be the same.

Looks like that is a 2011 list?

Still not sure what black-listed means??

Plausible Denial wrote:

Between fixing and doping, that is quite a matrix of iniquity. If T&F had any betting it would be the same.

Why do you think you can't bet on track and field?