World number one Novak Djokovic and other tennis players give their views on the “super serious” allegations of match-fixing, which the Serb also calls “just speculation”.
READ MORE:Evidence of suspected match-fixing revealed.
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Federer dazzles under the lights on Rod Laver Arena
Roger Federer was in ruthless form on Monday evening in Melbourne as he surged through to the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili in just 72 minutes.
The 34-year-old Federer is looking to become the third man in history to win five Australian Open titles, following Roy Emerson (six) and Novak Djokovic (five). The Swiss lifted the trophy at Melbourne Park in 2004 (d. Safin), 2006 (d. Baghdatis), 2007 (d. Gonzalez) and 2010 (d. Murray); he also finished runner-up in 2009 (l. to Nadal).
Federer opened his 2016 campaign in Brisbane, where he battled through the flu to reach his 136th tour-level final, finishing runner-up to Milos Raonic.
American teenager Noah Rubin claimed his first tour-level win in style as he withstood 18 aces to stun 17th seed Benoit Paire 7-6(4), 7-6(6), 7-6(5) in two hours and 31 minutes.
At No. 328 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, the wild card is the first player ranked outside the Top 300 to beat a seed at a Grand Slam since No. 478 Fernando Gonzalez defeated Alexandr Dolgopolov in Wimbledon 2011.
The 19-year-old Rubin, who won the USTA’s Australian Open Wild Card Challenge to make his debut in Melbourne, goes on to face French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who beat Pablo Andujar 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-2.
Novak Djokovic says match-fixing is not prevalent at the top level of tennis, as allegations of corruption overshadow the start of the Australian Open.
The world number one, who claims he rejected £110,000 to lose a match early in his career, says there is “no real proof” of fixing among the elite.
“It’s just speculation,” said the Serb 10-time Grand Slam champion.
The BBC and BuzzFeed News have obtained secret files that contain 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.
Chris Kermode, head of the Association of Tennis Professionals, has rejected claims that evidence of match-fixing had “been suppressed for any reason or isn’t being thoroughly investigated”.
But he added: “While the BBC and BuzzFeed reports mainly refer to events from about 10 years ago, we will investigate any new information.”
UK Government minister John Whittingdale has told the BBC that tennis should “learn from the mistakes of other sports” and take prompt action.
He said that “past allegations of this kind” against athletics and football were seemingly “swept under the carpet”.
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport added: “These are serious allegations and they need to be looked into very quickly.”
According to the BBC and BuzzFeed News, tennis authorities were presented with an examination of 26,000 matches in 2007, three of them at Wimbledon, which contained enough evidence to root out offenders.
However, no action was taken.
Nigel Willerton, who heads the TIU, insisted there had been a rigorous examination of material.
“All credible information received by the TIU is analysed, assessed and investigated by highly experienced former law-enforcement investigators,” he said.
Djokovic had already revealed he had been approached to lose a first-round match at the St Petersburg Open in 2007.
“I was approached through people working with me,” he said. “Of course, we threw it away right away. It didn’t even get to me.”
He added: “From my knowledge and information about match-fixing, there is nothing happening at the top level, as far as I know.
“At challenger level, maybe, maybe not. But I’m not entitled to really talk about it. I can give my opinion.
“But there is an organisation, authorities, people who take care of that on a daily basis and make sure to track it down.”
A number of players competing at the Australian Open in Melbourne have been responding to the revelations.
Like Djokovic, Roger Federer also said it was difficult to gauge if and to what level fixing went on
But the 17-time Grand Slam champion added: “There’s more pressure on these people now maybe because of this story, which is a good thing.”
World number one Serena Williams said that if match-fixing was taking place, then she “didn’t know about it”.
The American added: “When I’m playing, I can only answer for me, I play very hard, and every player I play seems to play hard.”
Williams began the defence of her Australian Open title with a 6-4 7-5 win over Italy’s Camila Giorgi.
Djokovic, who is the reigning men’s champion, started with a 6-3 6-2 6-4 defeat of South Korea’s Chung Hyeon.
The leaked files included details of an investigation into a 2007 match between Nikolay Davydenko and Martin Vassallo Arguello.
Both players were cleared of violating any rules, but the investigation developed into a much wider enquiry looking into a web of gamblers linked to top-level player
Documents show the enquiry found betting syndicates in Russia, northern Italy and Sicily making hundreds of thousands of pounds betting on matches investigators thought to be fixed.
In a confidential report for the tennis authorities, the enquiry team said 28 players involved in these matches should be investigated, but the findings were never followed up.
Kermode said the TIU had won 18 convictions, including six life bans, since it was set up in 2008, adding that it “has to find evidence as opposed to information, suspicion, or hearsay”.
Tomas Berdych booked his spot in the Australian Open second round, needing just one hour and 45 minutes to secure a 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 victory over top Indian Yuki Bhambri on Monday.
The sixth seed launched 35 winners, including 13 aces, and converted an efficient six of eight break chances. He won 35 of 39 first serve points, kicking off his bid to reach the semi-finals down under for a third straight year. Making his 13th straight appearance, Berdych owns 35 match wins in Melbourne Park, the most at any Grand Slam.
Berdych will next face qualifier Mirza Basic, a 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-4 winner over Robin Haase. Basic became the second player representing Bosnia & Herzegovina to win a Grand Slam match, joining Damir Dzumhur. Making his major debut, he overcame 17 aces from his Dutch opponent, while staving off 11 of 12 break points faced.
Dzumhur, meanwhile, survived his first Grand Slam five-setter, edging Kyle Edmund 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. The Sarajevo native was the first Bosnian to qualify for a major and win a match, reaching the third round at the Australian Open in 2014.
| 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. |
Britain’s Kyle Edmund was hampered by cramp as he lost in five sets to world number 81 Damir Dzumhur in the first round of the Australian Open.
Edmund, 21, twice led by a set in hot conditions but the problem with his left leg helped Dzumhur fight back for a 1-6 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-3 6-1 win.
“I’m disappointed obviously because it’s not my tennis that’s let me down, it’s my body,” Edmund said.
Heather Watson is in action later on Monday, taking on Timea Babos.
The British number three called the trainer after the seventh game in the third set.
He managed to serve out for a 2-1 lead, but was no match for the Bosnian in the final sets as his injury continued to hinder him.
Edmund, wincing and clutching his thigh, gave away five break points at 1-1 in the decider before succumbing and handing his opponent the decisive advantage.
The 21-year-old struggled to make it to the baseline to serve his final game, and a backhand into the net confirmed defeat in three hours and 12 minutes.
“You can’t play full out because you lose confidence in your movement and when you do move you start to cramp up again,”
“It was the same situation I felt in Davis Cup where I couldn’t do anything.
“To beat these guys you have to be 100%. You can’t play with your body cramping. It’s frustrating.”
British number one Andy Murray begins his campaign against German teenager Alexander Zverev on Tuesday.
His match will be the second of the day on the Margaret Court Arena (01:00 approx).
British number one woman Johanna Konta takes on Venus Williams in the second match on Rod Laver Arena (01:00 approx).
Dan Evans is also second on Court 13 for his match against Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and is followed on court by Aljaz Bedene, who faces American Steve Johnson.
| 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. |
Defending champion Serena Williams reached the second round of the Australian Open with a tense 6-4 7-5 win over Italian Camila Giorgi in her first tour match in four months.
The American, seeking to equal Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles, went into the tournament with doubts over a knee injury.
But the 33-year-old world number one came through a testing match unscathed.
Sixth seed Petra Kvitova beat Luksika Kumkhum 6-3 6-1 on a scorching day.
The two-time Wimbledon champion also had problems in the build-up to the tournament, with a stomach virus forcing her out of two warm-up events.
“I’m very pleased how I played and how I handled the nerves,” said the Czech. “I had an interrupted lead-up and lost some weight but I’m feeling much better now.”
Italy’s Sara Errani, the 17th seed, had injury problems during her match and became the first women’s seed knocked out, losing 1-6 7-5 6-1 to 21-year-old Russian Margarita Gasparyan.
| Elite players and their injuries and illnesses | |
|---|---|
| Serena Williams (left knee) | Simona Halep (left ankle) |
| Garbine Muguruza (left foot) | Agnieszka Radwanska (leg injury) |
| Maria Sharapova (left forearm) | Petra Kvitova (stomach virus) |
AUSSIES IN THE DRAW
There are nine local players in the draw (four direct entries and five wild cards). Lleyton Hewitt is playing this tournament a record 20th consecutive year (31-19 record). There are two Aussies seeded (No. 16 Bernard Tomic, No. 29 Nick Kyrgios) at the Australian Open for the first time since 2004 (No. 10 Mark Philippoussis, No. 15 Hewitt). Tomic finished 2015 as the top-ranked Australian player at No. 18, followed by Kyrgios, who reached the QF last year, at No. 30.
MAIN COACHING UPDATES
Borna Coric coached by Miles Maclagan
Alex Dolgopolov coached by Felix Mantilla
Roger Federer added coach Ivan Ljubicic to his team
Illya Marchenko coached by Tibor Toth
Andy Murray rejoined forces with Amelie Mauresmo
Milos Raonic added coach Carlos Moya to his team
Jiri Vesely coached by Tomas Krupa
Elias Ymer coached by Fredrik Rosengren
COUNTRY COUNT
There are 41 countries represented in the main draw with Spain (15) leading the way followed by the U.S. (14), France (13) and Australia (nine).
For the second straight season, there were a record 39 countries represented in the Top 100 of the year-end Emirates ATP Rankings (Spain led with 15 players followed by France with 10 and the United States with seven)
WILD CARDS
Four of the eight wild cards were awarded to James Duckworth (winner of the Australian Wild Card Play-off), Quentin Halys (FFT discretionary wild card), Yoshihito Nishioka (winner of the Asia Pacific Wild Card Play-off), Noah Rubin (winner of the USTA Pro Circuit Australian Open Wild Card Challenge). The other four wild cards were awarded by Tennis Australia to Australians Matthew Ebden, Lleyton Hewitt, Omar Jasika and Jordan Thompson.
EMIRATES ATP RANKINGS
Novak Djokovic has been No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for a total of 182 weeks (as of Jan. 18) and every week since his Wimbledon title in 2014 (81 straight weeks). His reign at No. 1 is fifth-most in the history of the Emirates ATP Rankings (since Aug. 23, 1973). Roger Federer has been ranked No. 1 a record 302 weeks during his career.
WITHDRAWALS
Players on the main draw entry list who have withdrawn from the Australian Open are:
Richard Gasquet (back)
Tommy Haas (shoulder)
Andreas Haider-Maurer (leg)
Thanasi Kokkinakis (shoulder)
Yen-Hsun Lu (elbow)
Juan Monaco (wrist)
Janko Tipsarevic (knee)
A LOOK AT THE TOP EIGHT SEEDS IN 2016
The Big Four have won 39 of the past 43 Grand Slam tournaments (beginning with 2005 Roland Garros) and 42 of the past 45 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events (beginning with 2011 Indian Wells)…
Federer (five times), Djokovic (four) and Nadal (three) have been the ATP year-end No. 1 players in the last 12 years (2004-15)…
First time in history three players are in a Grand Slam event with at least 10 major titles: Federer (17), Nadal (14), Djokovic (10)…
Murray is the only Top eight seed who did not play an ATP World Tour event leading into Australian Open
PLAYER 2016 RESULTS
(1) Novak Djokovic Doha Champion
Won 60th career title (T9 w/Agassi) in Doha (d. Nadal) and has reached final in 16 consecutive events, third-most in Open Era behind Lendl (18) and Federer (17)…Over past 52 weeks, has compiled an 85-5 match record…Five-time Australian Open champion is seeded No. 1 for four time in last five years. (except 2013)…Trying to tie Roy Emerson’s all-time record by winning his sixth Australian Open title
(2) Andy Murray
Practiced in Dubai with Kyle Edmund… Played in Hopman Cup (d. De Schepper, l. to Kyrgios, d. A. Zverev)…Four-time Australian Open finalist is seeded No. 2 for 3rd time in a major (2009 US Open 4R, 2013 Wimbledon Champion)…He and wife, Kim Sears, are expected to become parents in next month…Voted BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year for 2015
(3) Roger Federer Brisbane Runner-Up
Practiced with Robin Haase and Lucas Pouille in Dubai…Fell short of defending Brisbane title (l. to Raonic)…Playing in a record 65th consecutive Grand Slam main draw (streak started at 2000 Australian Open)…Lost to Seppi in 3R last year, ending streak of 11 consecutive Australian Open semi-finals…Seeded in Top 3 in 12 of last 13 years (except 2013 – No. 6)…Three wins shy of 300 career victories in Grand Slam play
(4) Stan Wawrinka Chennai Champion
Won Chennai Open (d. Coric) for third straight year and fourth time in his career…Named Swiss Sportsman of the Year in 2015…2014 Australian Open champion seeded in Top 5 for 7th time in last eight Grand Slam events…Won both majors as eighth seed (also 2015 Roland Garros)…Played exhibition in Abu Dhabi and took fourth place (Bye, l. to Raonic and Ferrer)
(5) Rafael Nadal Doha Runner-Up
Played exhibition in Abu Dhabi and won title (Bye, d. Ferrer and Raonic) …Opened season with runner-up in Doha (l. to Djokovic)…Trying to win first hard court title since 2014 Doha (d. Monfils)…Finished 2015 with a 17-5 record post-US Open and two finals (Beijing and Basel)…Looking to become only the 3rd player to win each Grand Slam event twice (after Roy Emerson and Rod Laver)
(6) Tomas Berdych Doha Semi-finalist
Opened with SF in Doha (l. to Djokovic)…New clothing sponsor is adidas…Playing in 50th consecutive Grand Slam event…Reached Australian Open SFs in 2014-15 after advancing to QFs in 2011-13
(7) Kei Nishikori Brisbane Quarter-finalist
Reached Brisbane QF, losing to Tomic in three sets… Played 1 match in Kooyong Classic (d. Jasika 61 67 10-4)…Eighth straight major seeded in Top 10…Reached Australian Open QFs in 2012 and 2015
(8) David Ferrer Doha 1st Round, Auckland Semi-finalist
Opened season with 1R in Doha (l. to Marchenko in 3 sets) and took WC into Auckland, reaching SF (l. to Sock in 3 sets)…Now 0-2 in decisive sets this season after going 15-2 in 2015…Played exhibition in Abu Dhabi and earned 3rd place (d. Tsonga, l. to Nadal, d. Wawrinka)
QUALIFIERS
The youngest and oldest players in the singles draw are two of the 16 qualifiers. Taylor Fritz (18) is the youngest and Radek Stepanek (37) is the oldest in the field
Five of the six players making their Grand Slam debuts at the Australian Open are qualifiers: Fritz, Jozef Kovalik, Mirza Basic and Argentines Marco Trungelliti and Renzo Olivo. The other is local wild card Omar Jasika
Here are the countries with the most qualifiers: U.S. (3), Argentina, France and Japan (2 each).
Biggest comebacks: Fritz rallied from 0-4 in third set to defeat Mischa Zverev 63 67 64 and Ryan Harrison saved 4 MPs in 2nd set to beat Aleksandr Nedovyesov 67 76 63.
YOUNG ONES TO WATCH
Four teenagers finished in the Top 100 last year (Borna Coric at No. 44, Hyeon Chung at No. 51, Thanasi Kokkinakis at No. 80, Alexander Zverev at No. 83), which is the most since 2007 (Marin Cilic, Juan Martin del Potro, Ernests Gulbis, Evgeny Korolev, Donald Young). There were also 10 teenagers in the Top 200.
Coric, who is the youngest player in the Top 50, opened the season by reaching his first ATP World Tour final in Chennai (l. to Wawrinka). He was the first teenager in an ATP World Tour final since his countryman Cilic won New Haven in 2008.
There are seven teenagers in the main draw (most since 7 in 2008): Chung (19), Coric (19), Fritz (18), Halys (19), Jasika (18), Rubin (19), Zverev (18).
DOUBLES
The top seeds for the first time in a Grand Slam event are last year’s No. 1 team Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau. The Wimbledon champs capped their season by winning the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The Bryans are not seeded No. 1 in Melbourne for the first time since 2009. They finished No. 2 last year in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings. They have finished No. 1 in 10 of the last 13 years. They have won this event 6 times and hold the all-time team record of 16 Grand Slam titles.
Daniel Nestor is making his 22nd appearance in the last 23 years (except 2000). He became the first player in the Open Era to win 1,000 doubles matches this past week in Sydney.
Among the new teams in 2016 are J. Murray/Soares (Sydney), Lopez/Lopez (Doha), Kontinen/Peers (Brisbane) and Kubot/Matkowski. The first 3 teams already have won titles in the first 2 weeks of the season.
In Case You Missed It
Viktor Troicki edged Grigor Dimitrov in a third-set tie-break in Sydney. Read
Roberto Bautista Agut prevailed in Auckland over Jack Sock. Read
Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares started their year with a doubles title in Sydney. Read
Hometown hero Michael Venus and partner Mate Pavic triumphed in Auckland. Read
Birthdays
January 20 – Malek Jaziri (32)
January 21 – Nicolas Mahut (34)
January 23 – Pablo Andujar (30)
In the midst of arguably one of the greatest runs in ATP World Tour history, Novak Djokovic enters the 2016 Australian Open on top of the tennis world. But even with all his recent success, Djokovic appreciates how far he’s come, reflecting on his breakthrough victory down under in 2008.
“Every time I go back to Rod Laver Arena, I have these memories come back to me from the first win back in 2008, of course, some of the epic matches I’ve played on that court,” five-time champion Djokovic said. “I’ll try my best, as anybody else. I’m here to start from the very beginning, to start from the scratch, and see where it takes me.
“I think most of the players really enjoy being here in Australia, in Melbourne. It’s a country and city that nurtures sport’s values. Whether it’s professional athletes you see along the way, the sports facilities that are magnificent around here, or just the regular people that jog, spend a lot of time outdoors and take care of themselves.
“When you’re in an environment like this, you feel motivated, you feel inspired to be here, to actually perform at your best. This being one of the four most important and prestigious tournaments we have in this sport, of course it always does in a way extract the best out of each player. In my case, this has been the most successful Grand Slam tournament, and probably one of my two, three most successful tournaments of my career. I won it five times.”
Djokovic, who owns an Open Era record five Australian Open titles, is bidding to draw level with all-time record holder Roy Emerson. The Serb lifted his first trophy in 2008, completed a three-peat from 2011-13 and won once again in 2015. It is one of four tournaments he has won at least five times, along with the China Open in Beijing (6), Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (5) and the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Miami (5).
“I’m here to focus on Australian Open. As all the players taking part in this year’s first Grand Slam, I would like to do the best as I can and fight for the trophy.
“Hopefully I can play many matches. That means that I would do well. If I am able to do the same or better, like in 2015, I’m not sure. Honestly, as I said, it’s just the beginning. I try to take one tournament at a time.”
Djokovic opens his 12th Australian Open campaign against a dangerous opponent: 19-year-old Korean Hyeon Chung. One of four teens in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, World No. 51 Chung is coming off a breakout 2015 season which included match wins in seven tour-level events and four ATP Challenger Tour titles.
“He’s one of the rising stars of the tennis world,” Djokovic added. “I haven’t seen him play too much, honestly. I know that he’s a tall fellow. He hits pretty solid from back of the court. He doesn’t have maybe as powerful of a serve as you would expect for his height. But I’m going to do a little bit more analysis and research there and get myself ready.
“We talk about the pre-tournament, pre-season kind of mindset and approach each year. Especially having an opponent who is this young, who has nothing to lose, he wants to show to the world that he deserves to be there. Of course, that makes it even trickier for me. I need to try to be going out on the court with the right intensity from the very beginning.”
Djokovic faces Chung on Monday afternoon, third on Rod Laver Arena.