Bernard Tomic, the Aussie tennis player who once had us all on the edge of our seats, is now making headlines for reasons that are simply not a serve. The former world No.17 has found himself at the centre of a multi-agency investigation into potential match-fixing — and it is messy.
According to The Age, two of Tomic’s matches raised eyebrows due to some suss betting activity. One of these matches was reportedly during the 2022 Australian Open qualifiers, when Tomic said he felt under the weather during a match against Roman Safiullin and later claimed he tested positive for COVID-19. The other took place in Turkey a few months earlier.
The Age explained that the reason red flags were raised is because, “at least two bookmakers flagged suspicious bets with Tennis Australia’s integrity team, which, in turn, passed the information on to the ITIA (Tennis Integrity Agency)”.
Detectives were reportedly looking into some suspicious successful bets made by three men from New South Wales. The police believed these people might have been linked to Tomic.
These same men apparently placed bets on both matches in question. We’re talking payouts ranging from $10,000 to a whopping $180,000. The investigators believe up to four sports bookmaking firms might have been involved: Ladbrokes, Palmer Bet, PointsBet and Bet.
The ITIA went all out, even seizing Tomic’s phone and grilling him about the matches in question, per Fox Sports. But after months of digging, they came up empty-handed, unable to find enough evidence to take it further.
Nick McKenzie, the journo who broke the story, told Nine’s Today Show that while the investigation is currently “dormant”, it could potentially be reopened if new info comes to light.
Tennis Australia has been playing ball throughout this whole saga. A spokesperson told The Age, “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.”
They added, “[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.”
As it stands, the investigation has been shelved. There is currently no suggestion Tomic is guilty of any criminal conduct.
Tomic is not playing in this year’s Australian Open.
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