Match fixing more tempting for young players says Nadal

As an Australian is charged, Nadal says young players are falling into the trap of taking quick money from bookmakers.

Rafael Nadal arriving at the Brisbane International. Picture: Darren England

Multi-grand slam winner Rafael Nadal says young Spanish tennis players are falling into the trap of taking quick money from bookmakers and websites but he thinks illegal betting cases are still rare in the sport.

He agrees it is more likely to happen on the lower levels of the world tennis tour, where it is more tempting for players whose earnings are minimal.

“I have been on the tour for 12, 13 years, and I really don’t spend a lot of time in the lower categories of our events, you know, in Challengers and in Futures. I spent just months, so I cannot talk much about it,” the 30-year-old said of the two levels below the ATP elite level.

“But on the professional ATP World Tour, I can talk. I don’t know if this happened here, but for sure is not happening very often. If it happened, it has been just very few times, because I see every match people fights, you know, people don’t want to lose.

“I don’t see matches that people give up or throw the match, you know. Maybe the lower tournaments maybe is another story.”

Nadal is the star attraction at the Brisbane International combined ATP-WTA event this week and his matches have been packing out Pat Rafter Arena.

Australia's Oliver Anderson. Picture: AP

But after he moved into the men’s quarter-finals last night with a straight sets win over German Mischa Zverev, he was asked about news that 18-year-old Australian Oliver Anderson had been charged by Victoria Police over match fixing at a lower-ranked tournament at Traralgon last October. He will appear in La Trobe Valley Magistrate’s Court on March 2.

Anderson won the Australian Open junior boys singles title last January, just two weeks after he won through qualifying and made it into the main ATP singles draw at the Brisbane International. He lost first round to Croatian Ivan Dodig.

Nadal said he did not have any details about Anderson’s case and was reluctant to comment. But speaking in general terms about betting in tennis he was confident authorities had stepped up their efforts and were more vigilant and effective.

“I didn’t know anything about that (Anderson),” Nadal said. “But if he’s arrested is because we are doing the right job, you know. That’s the most important thing.

“At the same time is obviously negative, always in the first month of the season starts to happen. Talking stories about our sport always before the Australian Open, and that’s something, you know, I have been a lot of years on tour and happens almost every year. You get tired about this kind of stuff, but the most important thing is fight against these kind of things.

“And he’s young? That’s even the worst part.

“But I know in Spain it happened a couple of weeks ago that few people got arrested, by (integrity) group that dedicates to that.

“And it’s great that the sport is doing the right things to fight against that and, you know, all the people that are not doing the things right, now they are in trouble.”

Anderson’s case will only focus the issue again on the Australian Open, which starts January 16, as tennis authorities around the globe vow to double their efforts to rid the sport of illegal betting and match fixing.

Last summer allegations aired a few years earlier were again raised leading to Tennis Australia and other tennis bodies around the globe instituting an independent review into the sport’s handling of integrity issues. Headed by Londoner Adam Lewis QC, an interim report is due to be ­released in March and TA has promised to undertake its recommendations.

TA and the ATP, which handles the men’s tour, declined to comment on specifics of Anderson’s case due to legal constraints.