Andy Murray says revelations over match-fixing in tennis could turn out to be a positive thing in the longer term as they will force the sport to tackle the problem.
READ MORE: Andy Murray says youngsters must be warned about match-fixing
Rafael Nadal suffered the only first-round exit of his career at the Australian Open after Fernando Verdasco recorded a stunning five-set win.
The Spanish left-handers produced an exhibition of hard-hitting in a match which spanned four hours and 40 minutes in the Rod Laver Arena.
Verdasco saved a break point to prevent going 3-0 down in the decider, going on to win 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 3-6 7-6 (4-7) 6-2.
Verdasco, 32, hit 90 winners and meets Israel’s Dudi Sela in round two.
Verdasco’s quarter of the draw produced some drama on day two of the first Grand Slam of 2016, not least in a four hour and 43 minute match on court 19 as Jeremy Chardy beat Ernests Gulbis 13-11 in a deciding fifth set.
Frenchman Chardy – seeded 30 – edged through in temperatures around 31C in Melbourne and could now meet Nadal in round three.
Fourth seed Stan Wawrinka is in the same quarter of the draw but he will not have to worry about an early meeting with big-serving South African Kevin Anderson.
The 29-year-old – who knocked Andy Murray out of last year’s US Open – trailed American Rajeev Ram before retiring hurt in the fourth set.
Wawrinka – who plays Dmitry Tursunov later – could meet Murray at the semi-final stage if the draw goes according to seeding.
Tenth seed John Isner – one of the biggest servers in the game – is a potential threat to Murray at the quarter-final stage and slammed 37 aces as he beat Jerzy Janowicz in straight sets.
Isner is one of seven Americans in round two – the most since nine progressed in 2009 – and one more is guaranteed to progress when Jack Sock meets Taylor Harry Fritz.
Elsewhere, 13th seed Milos Raonic explained he now wears a mouthguard during matches to prevent him from grinding his teeth.
The 25-year-old, who beat Frenchman Lucas Pouille in straight sets, says grinding his teeth causes “stress and headaches”, adding: “I guess maybe it’s just a way to calm myself down.”
In the women’s draw, Garbine Muguruza – beaten by Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final last year – opened play in the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.
The world number three – on court before Great Britain’s Johanna Konta beat Venus Williams – has never gone past round two in Melbourne but looked in complete control as she overcame Anett Kontaveit 6-0 6-4 in just 60 minutes.
Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens awaits Muguruza next and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic improved on her first-round exit in this tournament last year.
The Serb, 28, beat wildcard Tammi Patterson 6-2 6-3 and meets qualifier Anastasija Sevastova next.
Andy Murray says tennis needs to do “a better job” of warning young players about the perils of match-fixing.
The British number one was responding to BBC and BuzzFeed News revelations about suspected illegal betting in tennis over the past decade.
World number one Novak Djokovic has revealed he was offered £110,000 to fix a match early in his career.
Murray, 28, said: “When people come with those sums of money when you are that age, people can make mistakes.”
Djokovic said he was approached to lose a first-round match at the St Petersburg Open in 2007, adding that the offer, which was not made directly to the Serb, was dismissed immediately.
Speaking in Melbourne following his first-round win at the Australian Open, Murray said tennis authorities needed to be on the front foot on the issue of match-fixing.
“You have to be proactive with things like this and go and speak to the players rather than them reading about it in the newspapers or listening to it on the TV or the radio,” the Scot said.
“I think the more proactive you are with educating young players, the better on matters like this.”
He said players should learn about the dangers of match-fixing from the age of 15 and they should also be warned that a bad decision “can affect your career, can affect the whole sport”.
Murray also said that:
“If there is corruption in any sport, you want to hear about it,” said the world number two after his straight-sets win over Alexander Zverev.
“As a player, you just want to be made aware of everything that’s going on. I think we deserve to know everything that’s sort of out there.
“Some of it will be true, some of it might not be true, but I’m always very curious with that stuff, across really all sports as well.
“I think sports could in general be much, much more transparent.”
Murray also said tennis was sending mixed messages by allowing betting company William Hill to become one of the Australian Open’s sponsor’s this year and advertise on the tournament’s three main show courts.
For the first time at Melbourne Park, electronic advertising boards at Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and Hisense Arena display the name ‘William Hill’ during breaks in play.
“I’m not really pro that,” said Murray, a four-time finalist in Melbourne.
“I think it’s a little bit hypocritical, because I don’t believe the players are allowed to be sponsored by betting companies, but the tournaments are.
“I don’t really understand how it all works. I think it’s a bit strange.”
Djokovic has also called the decision to allow a betting company to sponsor the Australian Open “borderline”.
The BBC and BuzzFeed News obtained secret files that contained evidence of suspected match-fixing in tennis.
Those files indicate that, over the past decade, 16 players who have been ranked in the world’s top 50 have been repeatedly flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) over suspicions they have thrown matches.
All of the players, including winners of Grand Slam titles, were allowed to continue competing.
However, tennis officials have rejected suggestions they have been lax on the issue of match-fixing.
They also criticised the timing of the BBC and BuzzFeed News report, published just before the start of the first Grand Slam of the year.
Djokovic does not think match-fixing is prevalent at the top level of tennis and says there is “no real proof” of fixing among the elite.
“It’s just speculation,” said the 10-time Grand Slam champion.
Roger Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam champion, said it was difficult to gauge if and to what level fixing went on, adding he wanted more information about who might be guilty.
“I would love to hear names,” said the former world number one. “Then at least it’s concrete stuff and you can actually debate about it.
No. 13 seed easily advances 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in first match with Moya aboard
Facing Lucas Pouille for the second time in as many weeks, No. 13 seed Milos Raonic scored his second straight win over the Frenchman 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 26 minutes to move into the second round at the Australian Open.
Raonic, who had defeated Pouille 6-4, 6-4 en route to the title match in Brisbane, where he downed Roger Federer for only the second time in 11 FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, wasted little time establishing his 6-foot-5 presence on Tuesday in Melbourne, securing an early break and a quick 3-0 advantage. The 14th-ranked Canadian’s second break of the afternoon provided a 5-1 lead, and he would subsequently consolidate for the set.
The 25-year-old would open the second set with his third service break, before adding his fourth and final in the closing set to put the match out of reach. He finished with 12 aces and 39 winners to 20 unforced errors.
Last year, Raonic posted his career-best Australian Open result by reaching the quarter-finals, where he fell to eventual titlist Novak Djokovic. This is his first tournament with new coaching staff addition Carlos Moya, an Australian Open runner-up in 1997. He continues to work with Riccardo Piatti.
Pouille, coached by Emmanuel Planque, has now lost in the first round in seven of his eight Grand Slam appearances.
Fellow Frenchman Stephane Robert had more luck in his first-round match, defeating American Bjorn Fratangelo in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
| Australian Open |
|---|
| Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 18-31 January |
| Coverage: Listen to Tennis Breakfast on Radio 5 live sports extra and the BBC Sport website from 07:00 GMT every day. |
Johanna Konta outclassed eighth seed Venus Williams 6-4 6-2 to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
Britain’s number one, 24, raced to victory in 79 minutes as seven-time Grand Slam champion Williams, her left thigh heavily strapped, struggled.
Konta denied that 35-year-old Williams’ age had anything to do with the American’s laboured display.
“It’s irrelevant how old she is because she’s such a champion with so much experience and knowledge,” said Konta.
“Even if she’s playing with one leg out there, you’ve got to really take care of things on your own because she’s an incredible player. I have all the respect for her in the world.”
| Where the match was won |
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| Konta hit five aces to Williams’ one and won 71% of her points on first serve compared to just 52 from Williams. |
Konta, who reached the last 16 at the 2015 US Open, is the only British woman left in the singles draw following Heather Watson’s defeat on Monday.
The world number 47, making her Australian Open debut, will now face China’s Zheng Saisai.
Andy Murray also won to join Konta in the second round but Dan Evans and Aljaz Bedene both went out.
Relive the action as Konta and Murray progress
The Briton, who has described Williams as her idol, moved her opponent around the court and hit deep into the corners to take control of the match.
Konta broke serve twice in the first set and then eased to a 5-0 lead in the second before the American rallied briefly.
But Konta held her nerve to secure a famous victory over the former world number one.
“Right now it is still very much a blur,” added Konta, who lost in the first round at her two warm-up tournaments.
“When the draw came out and I saw who I was playing, I was just hoping to stay out there more than an hour.
“I played two previous tournaments and didn’t quite get the results I wanted but I have a very strong belief in the way I want to play and the way I want to be thinking.”
BBC correspondent Russell Fuller
“When practising with Venus Williams at Wimbledon a few years ago, Konta felt as if she was 12 years old once again, and back in the time when only a TV screen offered her a glimpse into the life of the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
“Here, in the Rod Laver Arena, Konta played with a minimum of fuss as Williams struggled with both her movement and her mindset. She was broken back when serving for the match, but looked assured throughout and like a player who now feels at home when she takes on the biggest names on the biggest courts.”
| Australian Open |
|---|
| Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 18-31 January |
| Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on all Andy Murray matches. Listen to Tennis Breakfast on Radio 5 live sports extra and the BBC Sport website from 07:00 GMT every day. |
British number one Andy Murray saw off German teenager Alexander Zverev with ease to reach the second round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Murray, 28, dominated throughout against the former junior world number one to secure a 6-1 6-2 6-3 victory.
The world number two will now face Australian Sam Groth, holder of the game’s fastest serve, on Thursday.
Murray joined fellow Briton Johanna Konta in the second round but Dan Evans went out and Aljaz Bedene plays later.
More soon.