The Tennis Authorities Begin The Fight Back
In a move which seems to pre-empt any future actions by the Association Of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of tennis in Australia, Tennis Australia, have taken their own action to ensure that January’s tournament is free from any betting scandals. It seems that they have tired of waiting for official global action by the main tennis authority and have taken the matter into their own hands.
The head of Tennis Australia, Steve Wood, has taken the rather unusual step of appointing a third party corporate security company to monitor betting activity in next years tournament, to ensure everything is “whiter than white”. This move comes hot on the heels of the most recent accusation of match fixing, which allegedly saw former Wimbledon Doubles Champion Michael Llodra being approached some 4 years ago to effectively throw a match.
While there are many in the sport who applaud the actions of Tennis Australia, the ATP are sure to be fuming that their thunder has been stolen and their slow reaction to the threat is being highlighted. Nobody is quite sure what the ATP advice is, as they have been fairly quiet for some time, stating that they are under going an investigation into various allegations. However, those in the sport are crying out for help and guidance now, at a time when tennis is being dragged through the mud.
This constant drip feed of unsubstantiated accusations is starting to take its toll, although it will be interesting to see what findings are made in the Australian Open next year. Perhaps this is the stand which will break the back of the match fixers, or will this tear the sport apart through lack of guidance and advice? Either way, unilateral action is required sooner rather than later, before the sport is overwhelmed by the stench of scandal.