German freelance journalist Jannik Schneider has tweeted about a major match fixing scandal.
Among the details outlined by the recently resigned German Tenis Magazin reporter who is now a freelancer…
New #matchfixing scandal according to ZDF/Welt
135 pros involved
organized from an Armenian match fixing ring in seven countries
FBI cooperating with European police
top 30 player involved (won 3 tournamens)
small player who is involved confirmed the detections
*********
Schneider is no stranger to tackling controversial issues. The Hamburg based reporter ruffled feathers at the Miami Open this year, when he pressed Roger Federer with questions about his Team 8 management company allegedly poaching Alexander Zverev from his former agent Patricio Apey.
Since departing from the German Tenis magazine, Schneider has pursued stories involving match fixing and illegal performance enhancing drug use by professional athletes.
Jannik Schneider · match fixing
Andrew Miller · December 15, 2019 at 8:55 pm
Excellent topic. Match fixing is real and we saw this with Davydenko in 2007? Underbelly of the sport. I think some reporter talked about guys who knew nothing about tennis making money cashing in on the delay between scores being posted per match and what took place on the ground at tournaments, scalping bettors.
I’d imagine a big area for betting would be low level women’s and dubs matches because no one cares to look.
Andrew Miller · December 15, 2019 at 9:07 pm
“Nadal won’t be Niki Pilic anytime soon”. Sorry. They aren’t development coaches. And they can’t “instill” whatever drove them into other players. That academy exists for itself. Just as Bolletieri does, just as Macci does. The establishment of the Nadal academy is to my eye what Spanish players do, whether Ferrero or the Sanchez family or any Spanish player of repute.
Scoop Malinowski · December 15, 2019 at 9:26 pm
Has a WTA player ever even been accused of match fixing? WTA seems completely immune to match fixing.
Harold · December 15, 2019 at 9:29 pm
Andrew, what other number 1 player had an Academy while they were still playing? Have to give it some time
Gambling:
Last week in a very low level tournament, some clown lost every point, love, and love, and allegedly bet against himself..
Andrew Miller · December 15, 2019 at 10:20 pm
Harold I think Ferrero but Ferrero was already in doldrums or on his way out of sport, so former No. 1 with his academy as his priority as he slipped down the ranking ladder. I am more cynical over time as to players. I’m sure Nadal is earnest as to his mission with his academy. I just don’t believe he’ll be producing guys and ladies with his kind of unique ambition and attitude. Too much to ask for any place. Probably why as of now they emphasize being a good person at a high price tag.
Andrew Miller · December 15, 2019 at 10:24 pm
Scoop, no, super rare among women. Nearly all cases are men. One extremely low ranked ladies player.
catherine · December 16, 2019 at 1:25 am
Scoop – Women aren’t in general very interested in activities like match fixing in sport. They’re certainly interested in gambling, but usually in a different context. No idea why, just one of those things. Until stricter rules were introduced women players seemed quite good at the turning-up-injured- and-retiring wheeze.
As for match fixing in sport, it’s quite common in cricket but prison sentences have been handed out there and careers ruined so less easy to get away with now. There are other rich seams to mine as far as cheating goes, including the use of sticky tape to alter the ball swing etc. Tends to inspire mockery.
Andrew Miller · December 16, 2019 at 12:59 pm
This match fix scandal blowing up. Heads will roll.
Scoop Malinowski · December 16, 2019 at 1:41 pm
It should. Or it will be covered up.
Doogie · December 16, 2019 at 1:46 pm
Guy who won 3 tournaments: Nikoloz Bashialishvili
“Small player” is Max H. according to article but should be Max M (most probably Marterer, who is out because of an injury since 6 months or so. Injury or silent ban??)
Scoop Malinowski · December 16, 2019 at 2:18 pm
Beware of the eastern bloc players who make it again$t all odd$ but owe favor$ when IF they do finally make it. Thanks Doogie.
Doogie · December 16, 2019 at 2:32 pm
Yes thats true that eastern players often (nearly always) are involved because they grow up with betting. Placing bets is part of their culture (u know what I mean – my English is still not good).
U cannot compare people from USA to eastern europe in terms of bettings. In US men place bets for fun on NFL f.e. in east europe they bet to make money (of course they dont but they believe it is possible).
So kids grow up knowing all men are betting and so they do afterwards.
Due to this mentality US there is nearly no fixing problem (beside boxing maybe but how often is boxing? 3 times a year).
Scoop Malinowski · December 16, 2019 at 3:23 pm
Doogie, Americans bet a lot too. One legend is known for his heavy gambling. Also one US veteran did a Biofile with me ten years ago and revealed accidentally how another now retired US veteran “bets on everything.” I edited the quote out to avoid trouble.
Andrew Miller · December 16, 2019 at 4:23 pm
I understand what Doogie is saying. In Europe betting shops are in neighbourhoods. They are local hangouts and they are normal, not as common as a deli or a coffee shop but very very common. Doogie what happened to Vesely! 🙁
Doogie · December 16, 2019 at 5:20 pm
He is still not working hard – he is like Jack Sock and both will not change their minds.
Lost talent this Vesely 🙁
But he enjoys his life not understanding how much money he could make with a little bit of work.
Andrew Miller · December 16, 2019 at 7:51 pm
Lefties. I think Dan Markowitz once wrote there’s an inherent instability with true lefties like Vesely. It’s a little bit of a curse. They have a huge advantage on the spin side, and then that advantage disappears and they scratch their heads.
Yeah like you said. The atp is somewhat of a graveyard for lefties. Not all that many fantastic WTA lefties either.
Shapo so far has played in defiance of this invisible curse affecting lefties.
Doogie · December 16, 2019 at 8:27 pm
I am not a Shapo believer tbh although I like his attitude. He lacks of ability to finish points. On the net he losses more points than winning, and with his groundstrokes he is not able to produce winners constantly. His serve can be a weapon yes, but I dont see more (I speak about highest level of course).
He will never be not a regular GS finalist
He is still young but I dont like his technique on groundstrokes. Felix lot more potential imo
Andrew Miller · December 17, 2019 at 12:09 am
Got to go for the jugular one way or another in tennis. I like how Shapo was playing at the US Open as well as in Paris. I think even he’d admit that in Paris he was lucky to make the final given Nadal’s withdrawal, and played his final as if it were his first Masters final.
It’s too hard for me to judge. I didn’t know if Del Potro would make it to the big time when I saw him as a teenager rising fast up the ranks. I didn’t know that he had a great inner hunger. I don’t know what these guys are made of. I always think if some of the guys with more flash especially the young guys coming up had the ethic of Raonic they’d be in good position to win big. But as luck would have it not everyone is blessed with the same things. Raonic makes up in intelligence what he lacks in movement and gets penalized for his movement. Young guys make up for their lack of strategy with their capabilities but fall short because they’re playing checkers and the big guys are playing chess.
Matty · December 18, 2019 at 1:15 am
There are very unusual betting trends on the men’s side. If you ever notice an ATP 250 or 500 winner, they lose their next first round match virtually 50% of the time. Fatigue? or something more sinister? Sometimes a match is a real head scratcher— like how does Gilles Simon lose to Mats Moraing at a clay court Challenger. Or how does Pablo Cuevas lose to a 17 y.o. Juan Cerundolo in, of all places, Uruguay? Danielle Collins, THAT Danielle Collins ranked #31, lost three weeks ago in a second round FUTURES tourney.
Scoop Malinowski · December 18, 2019 at 9:06 am
Matty, these results are all suspicious. Very.