All Bets are Off in Tennis
The professional tennis circuit was rocked by betting scandals or potential scandals for the second half of 2007. As tennis fans know, the panic really started during the summer when a (suspiciously) large amount of money was wagered on a Nikolay Davydenko match at a tournament in Poland in which he ended up losing to a much lower ranked player. Since then, there have been extensive investigations, the creation of an “integrity
unit”, review of the rules and subsequently suspensions of a couple male players for minor infractions. Nothing has yet been fully explained or proved regarding ”Davydenkogate,” but nonetheless the cloud of a serious betting scandal has hung over professional tennis for the past five months. Several players have come forward to admit that they were approached regarding “influencing” matches, etc. Both the ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour have rules in place which forbid players and their “support personnel” from betting on tennis matches. Violators face hefty fines and suspensions. Players have also been told to alert the Tour immediately if they’ve been contacted regarding fixing a match. The reality is that gambling on sports, including online betting, is a huge and rapidly growing global business. Given the high-tech methods of communication available, e.g. laptops, Web access on cellphones, etc., it’s possible for information to flow very easily and quickly around the world. Professional tennis is one of the premier global sports and definitely at risk. The reality is that temptation and easy money will always be there… As a result, the ATP and WTA need to establish clear and stringent policies and penalties while simultaneously focusing their efforts on educating players about their responsibility to the sport of tennis and the business of professional tennis which provides their livelihood. One of the bright spots resulting from this potentially damaging scandal is that it has forced the ATP, WTA, ITF and Grand Slams to collaborate and cooperate. Would that that should happen more often and not as a result of a potential scandal facing the sport of tennis…
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