Tomic Australian Open match targeted in police probe of suspicious betting

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Detectives launched a multi-agency strike force focused on Australian tennis star Bernard Tomic to probe possible match fixing after uncovering suspicious wagering on two matches involving the former world No.17, including one at the 2022 Australian Open. Police strike force Whyman was launched in early 2022 after suspicious bets were made via online bookmakers on an Australian Open qualifying match between Tomic and Russian player Roman Safiullin, and another match the controversial Australian sportsman played in Turkey a few months earlier. The police probe ended after months of investigation failed to produce enough evidence to sustain criminal charges, enabling Tomic to continue playing on the international tennis circuit, including his unsuccessful effort last week to qualify for this year’s Australian Open. This masthead has also confirmed that the sport’s anti-graft body, the International Tennis Integrity Agency, conducted its own investigation, seizing Tomic’s phone and quizzing him in connection with the matter. Two sources said the independent agency’s investigation had moved to a “dormant” phase and it would take no further action in the absence of further information. A Tennis Australia spokesman confirmed its anti-corruption officers co-operated with domestic and international authorities to probe the suspect betting.

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“Tennis Australia’s integrity team has worked with the ITIA and law enforcement agencies since first alerted to concerns relating to betting activity in tennis,” the spokesman said. “[Tennis Australia] integrity’s role in any investigation has predominantly been one of support throughout. We have been advised there is no current police investigation into this matter.” Bernard Tomic leaves the practise court at this year’s Australian Open. Credit: Chris Hopkins Five sources with knowledge of the police probe, but who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they had not been authorised to talk publicly, said detectives investigated suspicious successful wagering by three NSW men who authorities suspected were linked to Tomic either directly or via a close relative. The same Australian gamblers placed suspicious bets on both matches. The winnings from the suspect betting ranged from payouts of $10,000 to $180,000 and police believed they may have involved up to four sports bookmaking firms: Ladbrokes, Palmer Bet, PointsBet and Bet Right. At least one of the firms refused to pay out the winnings because of integrity concerns, instead alerting Tennis Australia about its suspicions that bets were laid using inside information. The sports body immediately alerted police and the ITIA, with detectives deciding to launch a strike force after a period of intensive intelligence gathering and analysis.

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When contacted through an associate, Tomic declined to discuss the investigation with a reporter. The three gamblers tied to the suspect betting could not be reached for comment, although one of the trio attended the Australian Open this week. Tennis Australia said the punter “was the plus one of an invited guest and was not accredited”. There is no suggestion by this masthead that Tomic is guilty of any criminal conduct, only that he was the subject of inquiries by the strike force and separately by tennis authorities. The formation of a police strike force only occurs in the event of serious criminal suspicions that require the concentration of resources and specialist investigative capacity. NSW Police led strike force Whyman with assistance from Victorian and Queensland police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, the sources said. Police also briefed Australia’s peak sports integrity agency, Sport Integrity Australia, and the ITIA. Launching a strike force does not guarantee criminal charges. Investigations often produce no results because of insufficient evidence to sustain a prosecution or a finding that suspects are not involved in wrongdoing. No criminal charges followed the Whyman investigation. NSW Police declined to answer questions about what evidence the strike force uncovered, why it was shut down or whether it ultimately cleared those initially under suspicion. A NSW police spokesperson said only that the force did not have a current investigation into tennis match-fixing.

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The 2022 Australian Open match under scrutiny involved a straight sets loss by Tomic in the opening round of qualifying, during which he suggested in a mid-match outburst that he was struggling with COVID-19. Trailing 2-1 at the change of ends in the second set, Tomic told the chair umpire he was physically hampered. “For sure in the next two days I will test positive, I’m telling you. I’m telling you,” Tomic said. “I will buy you dinner if I don’t test positive in three days. Otherwise you buy me dinner,” Tomic said. Tomic was criticised after the match– he went down 6-1, 6-4 – for his lacklustre performance, but two days after the qualifier he told reporters he was in isolation having tested positive for COVID-19. He told a reporter at the time: “Due to the illness, I just couldn’t fire on all cylinders. As much as I tried, I didn’t have the energy to fight. I’m going to do everything it takes to get back to the top.”

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The Russian was a clear favourite in the Melbourne Park AO match, as was Tomic’s opponent in the second match that was under scrutiny, Frenchman Quentin Halys. Halys demolished Tomic in straight sets – 6-0, 6-1 – during a match in Istanbul in 2021. Tomic speaks to the umpire during his Australian Open match against Russian Roman Safiullin in 2022. Credit: Getty Images After Tomic’s loss to Roman Safiullin in Australia, at least two bookmakers flagged suspicious bets with Tennis Australia’s integrity team, which, in turn, passed the information on to the ITIA. Bet Right chief executive Anthony Waller said his company emailed tennis integrity officials at 7.30pm on the night of Tomic’s Australian Open qualifying loss in 2022. “We saw something unusual, we took it upon ourselves to contact TA directly and, to their credit, Tennis Australia returned serve at 11pm ... that’s pretty good,” he said. “Tennis Australia took it very seriously, they did something about it, and it went down its normal course.” Waller said the company had then co-operated with state police, state crime command and the organised crime squad/gaming. He said that one of the bets was to win a five-figure amount by correctly predicting the number of sets in the match, but the eventual payout was halved.

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