Top players under suspicion as leaked files expose match-fixing in tennis

Widespread suspected match-fixing exists at the top level of world tennis, including at Wimbledon, according to leaked secret files  Over the past decade, 16 players ranked in the top 50 have been repeatedly flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit, which was set up to police the sport, over suspicions they have thrown matches, the documents show. All of the players, including winners of Grand Slam titles, were allowed to continue competing. Eight of the players are due to play in the Australian Open which starts on Monday, according to the files, obtained by the BBC and BuzzFeed News.

All credible information received by the TIU is analyzed, assessed, and investigated by highly experienced former law-enforcement investigators.

Nigel Willerton, director of the TIU

The cache of documents includethe findings of an investigation set up in 2007 by the organising body, the Association of Tennis Professionals. The players have not been named because without access to their phone, bank and computer records it was not possible to determine whether they took part in match-fixing. The documents show the inquiry found betting syndicates in Russia, northern Italy and Sicily making hundreds of thousands of pounds betting on games which investigators thought to be fixed. Three of these games were at Wimbledon.

All of us here in tennis are absolutely committed to stamp out any form of corrupt conduct in our sport. There is a zero tolerance policy on this. We are not complacent. We are very vigilant.

ATP president Chris Kermode

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