BuzzFeed News reports that the Tennis Integrity Unit, an independent body that investigates corruption, has suspicions about three matches at Wimbledon based on unusual betting patterns. Two of the matches in question were in the qualifying rounds, while one was in the main draw itself. This would be a fairly shocking revelation for the most prim and prestigious tournament in the sport, which wrapped up this past Sunday.
TIU reports suspicious matches quarterly, and these were just three of 53 matches flagged in total. But most of the suspected foul play occurs at tournaments of much smaller stature, in terms of ranking points and cash prizes awarded; this is only the second time that a match at Wimbledon set off any alarms. It could be grounds for further investigation.
Last year BuzzFeed News and BBC did a thorough analysis of the match-fixing suspected among players ranked in the top 50, though no names were printed, “because without access to phone, bank, or computer records it is not possible to prove a link between the players and the gamblers,” a concession that probably has a lot to do with the U.K.’s stricter libel laws.