Wimbledon bosses have backed plans to restructure the lower levels of tennis in a bid to clamp down on match-fixing involving players struggling to make a living from the sport. A recent 'Independent Review of Integrity in Tennis' report said the lower reaches of the men's and women's game provided a fertile breeding ground for betting-related corruption.
The problems stem from too many players in the lower reaches, such as the Futures and Challenger circuits, not earning enough to make a living, coupled with the rise of online betting. A total of 14.5 percent of players who responded to the survey said they had first-hand knowledge of match-fixing but the panel found no evidence of top-level players being implicated in corruption.
The report recommended restructuring of the professional game with a significant reduction in tournaments deemed "professional", discontinuing the sale of official live scoring data at lower-level tennis and eliminating betting sponsorship in the sport. With Wimbledon due to get underway in July, the grass-court Grand Slam's chiefs revealed they support the proposals.
Comments
Comments are closed.