Federer voices betting concerns

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:36

And the Swiss superstar has urged the sport’s governing bodies to show no mercy if any cheating of the system can be proven.

“I think we should have massive bans on those who get caught so they get really scared of doing it,” he said.

It has emerged tennis authorities are looking into betting patterns on a Wimbledon match.

Online bookmaker Betfair alerted the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) after £700,000 was gambled on the first-round contest in which Austrian number 26 seed Jurgen Melzer beat American Wayne Odesnik by three sets to love.

Some bookmakers suspended betting on the match as the wagers flooded in. But it is believed the surge in betting could have been down to rumours circulating that Odesnik was suffering from an injury.

Federer was asked for his view on the overall suspicious betting issue and said: “We don’t talk about it in the locker room. But it’s happened more frequently than we talk about it.

“If it’s happening or not, we are suspecting. We’re not sure. But, of course, it has no place in tennis

“But it’s hard to control. But I’m sure the ATP (Association of Tennis Professional) and the ITF (International Tennis Federation), we’re trying our best to catch those guys – if there are any out there.”

“We talk about it in the Player Council, Player Board. Those are things definitely we’re trying to fight. We have a good set-up, so we can’t avoid that there are some funny results sometimes here and there. That doesn’t mean it’s really happening.”

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