Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

The ATP has refuted claims in a recent media investigation that it was given information about players being involved in match-fixing but permitted then to keep playing.

Internal ATP documents show that information implicating about 28 players, 16 who have been in the top 50, was obtained by the ATP in 2008.

“The Tennis Integrity Unit and the tennis authorities absolutely reject any suggestion that evidence of match fixing has been suppressed for any reason or isn’t being thoroughly investigated,” said ATP CEO Chris Kermode. “And while the BBC and BuzzFeed reports mainly refer to events from about 10 years ago, we will investigate any new information, and we always do.”

The events center around the well-known match involving Nikolay Davydenko at Sopot in 2007, with Betfair cancelling wagers on the match because of the extent of suspicious betting. The ATP investigated and did not find enough to take any steps against either of the players.

“As the BuzzFeed report states itself, the investigators hit a brick wall and it just wasn’t possible to determine who the guilty party was in relation to this,” said Kermode. “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 on this.

“Whilst we are aware that all sport – all sport, not just tennis – is at potential risk of corruption, that is why, in 2008 the Tennis Integrity Unit was set up to actually tackle this issue.”

Nigel Willerton of the Tennis Integrity Unit said, “Everything that comes into the unit is actioned, it’s assessed.”

Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.