TENNIS in DEPTH.

Online bookmaker Betfair alerted the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) after £700,000 was gambled on the first-round contest in which Austrian number 26 seed Jurgen Melzer beat American Wayne Odesnik by three sets to love.

Some bookmakers suspended betting on the match as the wagers flooded in.

But it is believed the surge in betting could have been down to rumours circulating that Odesnik was suffering from an injury.

Federer was asked for his view on the overall suspicious betting issue and said: “We don’t talk about it in the locker room. But it’s happened more frequently than we talk about it.

“If it’s happening or not, we are suspecting. We’re not sure. But, of course, it has no place in tennis.

“But it’s hard to control. But I’m sure the ATP (Association of Tennis Professional) and the ITF (International Tennis Federation), we’re trying our best to catch those guys – if there are any out there.

“I think we should have massive bans on those who get caught so they get really scared of doing it.

“We talk about it in the Player Council, Player Board.

“Those are things definitely we’re trying to fight. We have a good set-up, so we can’t avoid that there are some funny results sometimes here and there. That doesn’t mean it’s really happening.”

The world number two was also asked whether it would be difficult to control a flow of information reaching bookmakers.

“I don’t know. I’ve never been approached,” Federer said. “I never knew it existed until a few years ago when all of a sudden I heard about it. So I’ve been shocked to hear it.

“Well, we always hope that the players also want the best for the sport. That is, at the end of the day, what it comes down to.”

American Odesnik, ranked 109 in the world, was not expected to win against Melzer even if fully fit.

Before the match the odds on a 3-0 win went from even money to 1-5.

Odesnik, 23, said on Tuesday night night: “I have no idea about this. I don’t know why someone would bet for me to lose. This was my first tournament on grass this season.

“Yesterday, I had a little bit of a strain in my thigh but it was not a question of not being able to play.”

He said he would not do anything to jeopardise his future.

And speaking before a practice session on Wednesday, Melzer, who is not under suspicion, said: “I played my match. I won in three sets. I didn’t have any knowledge of any betting. I was surprised this morning to read it in the papers.

“Even if he was fit, I would beat him on three sets on grass.

“The odds would be that I would beat him in three sets. Any set I would lose would be a surprise.

“I’m now in a strange position. I’m getting asked questions about something I have nothing to do with.

“It’s bad for tennis.”

World number four Novak Djokovic agreed, like Federer, that the sport must battle corruption.

“Of course I have heard about it but never experienced it personally,” Djokovic said.

“This is certainly something that we have to fight against because it doesn’t deserve a place in our sport.”

An International Tennis Federation spokesman said: “The Tennis Integrity Unit never comments on any ongoing investigation or lack thereof. We would never confirm or deny whether there is any ongoing investigation.”

He added: “All sports have irregular betting patterns. There are a large variety of reasons for that. It doesn’t necessarily mean that someone has done anything wrong.”

The TIU is an independent unit which works on behalf of the ITF, ATP, WTA (Women’s Tennis Association), and grand slam events.

Bookmark It

Sabine Lisicki scored a comfortable win over Patricia Mayr of Austria in the 2nd round at Wimbledon. Sabine won 6-2 6-4 in 1 hour and 17 minutes. Sabine’s serve was a key to winning the match as whenever she got her first serve in she won the point 96% of the time and also Sabine had 9 aces.

Sabine will be playing for a place in the 4th round on Saturday, and she will be playing Roland Garros champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia. They have never played before.

Svetlana has said often that she does not feel comfortable playing on grass, and her record backs up her claim. Lisicki however has the serve and game that suits the fast grass of wimbledon, so an upset win by the young German should not be a surprise.

Bookmark It

Andy Murray was in magnificent form as he raced to a straight-sets victory over the potentially dangerous Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in his second-round match on Centre Court, winning 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 in one hour and 28 minutes.

The No3 seed – aiming to become the first British winner of the men’s singles title at the All England Club in 73 years – came through an early blip and demonstrated his superior shot-making as he saved two break points in his first service game and then broke Gulbis in the fifth game. From then on he never looked back and produced a display of rare dominance, making only five unforced effors in the whole match.

Even the normally low-key Murray played up his prospects, though rightly falling short of saying that he was going to be the champion in ten days’ time. “If I serve like that for the rest of the tournament I’ve got a good chance of doing very well,” he said.

Bookmark It

Two days ago, Ana Ivanovic of Serbia was twice a point from going out of Wimbledon. Today, the comeback began in earnest as she defeated Sara Errani of Italy 7-5, 6-1 to reach the third round.

Today, in the sunshine on Court 18, Ivanovic did not have things all her own way but when her game was at its peak she responded with vigorous arm pumping and squeals of delight. This was much more like it and she knew it.

Ivanovic is in her fifth Wimbledon and her best performance was to reach the semi-finals two years ago.

Samantha Stosur needed more than two hours to overcome qualifier Tatjana Malek 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 to keep Australian interest in the women’s singles alive into the third round.

Green and gold were the dominant colours on Court 18 as Stosur’s compatriots flocked to support the 19th seed against the 21-year-old German, who had eliminated Jelena Dokic, another Australian, in the previous round.

Bookmark It

Former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt turned back the clock with a breathtaking 6-3 7-5 7-5 victory over Juan Martin Del Potro on Centre Court.

Fifth seed Del Potro, tipped by many to clinch his maiden Grand Slam title at the All England Club, was outfought and outplayed by the Australian, who returned to his finest form after long term injury.

Failure to recover from a hip injury sustained in March 2008 has seen Hewitt drop out of the top 50 in the world, however his performance on Centre Court suggests he is well on his way to recovery.

The Australian will face one of unseeded duo Philipp Petzschner or Mischa Zverev in the third round and will fancy his chances of progressing to the second week at SW19 for the seventh time in his career.

French Open semi-finalist Del Potro took Rafael Nadal’s place in the draw following the top seed’s withdrawal and he must have been dismayed to face such a classy opponent so early on.

The Argentine was left to rue six missed break point opportunities in the opening set before Hewitt broke in the sixth game and clinched the set with ease on his service game.

The Australian’s serving was proving the difference – the 28-year-old fired down 13 aces in the opening two sets as Del Potro struggle to force his way back into the match.

The fifth seed was also holding serve easily for the most part but a double fault in the 10th game set up a break point for Hewitt, which he took when Del Potro tamely found the net, prompting a trademark fist-pumping celebration.

Hewitt then found himself break point down serving for the set but a woeful return from Del Potro summed up his frustration and Hewitt took the second set 7-5 with a smash into the open court.

With the world number five looking on in disbelief, Hewitt struck again at the start of the third set as a shock victory closed in ever nearer.

Nerves set in during the 10th game as Hewitt presented Del Potro with a chance to break back, an opportunity he took to tie the set at 5-5.

But Hewitt wasn’t to be denied, he immediately broke the Del Potro serve the following game and held his serve under pressure to seal a dramatic win.

Bookmark It

Like a fat kid at a buffet bar, the Aussie former world no.1 just can’t resist the temptation to smear egg all over his face at any opportunity.

Now approaching veteran status on the ATP Tour, the 28-year-old Hewitt is determined not to let it show.

In fact, as his playing powers wane, it seems increasingly likely that the “Aussie battler” will be better remembered for his public displays of petulance than his remarkable on-court tenacity and resolve.

A nagging baseliner, Hewitt stepped briefly into the power vacuum left by retiring giants Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in 2001. Two grand slam titles later, he was unceremoniously shunted aside by a new breed of power players led by Roger Federer, Marin Safin and Andy Roddick.

Since then he has toiled with limited success against bigger, craftier opponents, with his world ranking slipping to 67 at the end of last year.

But even in lean times, his big mouth and comparatively-small brain have kept him near the headlines.

Bookmark It

Venus Williams moves her road show to No.1 Court for the second match in defence of her title. The opposition is provided by the younger of the Bondarenko sisters, the 22-year-old Kateryna, who collected just six games in their only previous meeting, indoors at Stuttgart last year.

The women’s top seed, Dinara Safina, the current French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, the recent world number ones from Serbia, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, and the 2006 Wimbledon champion, Amelie Mauresmo, are all scheduled for appearances on the lesser show courts. But a glamour spot is offered on Centre Court between the two big men’s matches to a fast-rising star, Caroline Wozniacki.

Born in Denmark of Polish parents, Caroline is already, at the age of 18, able to call Monte Carlo her place of abode and has had some sensible advice in her short senior career, having worked with Andre Agassi’s guru, Gil Reyes, on her fitness in Las Vegas. Reyes calls her work rate “nothing short of amazing” .

Caroline has faced this afternoon’s opponent, the 22-year-old Russian Maria Kirilenko once before, at Indian Wells last year, and cleaned up at the cost of just two games. More of the same, please. It would make a neat change from Andymonium.

Bookmark It

Andy Murray is “disappointed” over hints from his Wimbledon second-round opponent Ernests Gulbis that he bent the rules to his advantage in one of their previous matches.

Latvian Gulbis, up against the British number one on Centre Court, recalls a meeting at Queen’s Club last year when he believes Murray took a medical ‘time-out’ for no other reason than to slow up the match.

Murray acknowledges some players do occasionally use such dubious tactics but insists he is one of the good guys who do not.

“I did have to withdraw from the next round the following day, so that’s very disappointing to hear,” said the Scot.

“I never once used any of the rules that certain players have used to try to gain an upper hand in a match or to slow my opponent down or anything.

“When I played him at Queen’s that was not the case. I didn’t realise there was a problem. I woke up and I couldn’t grip the racket the following day.”

Gulbis made it clear he saw things differently.

“In the third set, he took a medical time-out when it was five-all,” he remembered.

“Actually he had nothing (wrong with him). He just broke my rhythm, and I wasn’t an experienced enough player to deal with that at the time.”

Murray refutes Gulbis’ version of events.

“There are so many things in matches where guys take toilet breaks, injury time-outs, delay you sometimes when you are trying to serve, and take a little longer in between the points than they are meant to. It happens all the time,” he concedes.

“I have never done it – it’s not part of the sport. It’s a form of cheating – it’s bending the rules to gain an advantage.

“It does go on. Certain players do it, and certain players don’t. I’m one of the guys who doesn’t do it.”

Bookmark It