Editor’s note (1/11/17): This article has been amended since it was first published as it is now understood by the ABC that Isaac Frost appealed the TIU’s findings and the appeal was upheld. No mention of the fact of the appeal and its outcome was included in the Tennis Integrity Unit’s media release on the matter. There is no indication that Frost was involved in match-fixing.
Australian tennis player Nick Lindahl has been banned from professional tennis for seven years and fined $35,000 (AUD$47,580) for match-fixing.
Brisbane-based Brandon Walkin was also sanctioned after being found guilty of tennis corruption at an ITF Futures tournament in Toowoomba in 2013.
Lindahl was found guilty of fabricating or attempting to obtain the outcome of an event and failing to cooperate with a Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) investigation.
Lindahl, born in Sweden, refused to provide his cell phone for a forensic download at the request of the TIU in October 2013.
The 28-year-old, who retired from tennis in 2013, cannot return to professional tennis for the next seven years.
He reached a career-high ATP ranking of 187.
Walkin, 22, was provisionally suspended for attempting to influence the outcome of an event. He is free to play, subject to good behavior, and is scheduled to play doubles today in a tournament in Canberra.
Another Australian player, Isaac Frost, served a provisional suspension between 2013 and 2014 after being found guilty of failing to cooperate with a TIU investigation for refusing to provide his mobile phone for forensic downloading.
It appears that this accusation was rejected on appeal. He is free to participate in any professional tennis event.
Match-fixing, a “toxic mixture”
Former Australian Open chief executive and tournament director Paul McNamee is not surprised that match-fixing is a problem among lower-ranked professional tennis players.
“There are only 100 men today who earn a decent living, as well as 100 women,” he said.
“The rest are living at or below the poverty line and it’s a toxic mix when you’re faced with these temptations.“
McNamee, who won five major tournaments in doubles and mixed doubles during his professional career, believes tennis authorities are more concerned with tackling the “symptoms” of match-fixing and not the “cause”.
He called on the majors to increase the level of prize money available during qualifying rounds.
“Qualifying is the time where Grand Slam players, who are in a leadership position, can play a leading role,” McNamee said.
“So I would like to see the qualifying price tripled and then you would have 100 more men and 100 women able to earn a living and not be seduced by any temptation.”
