Evidence has been uncovered suggesting that there may have been widespread match fixing at the top level of tennis, according to reports.
BBC Sport claim that they have been handed documents suggesting that a number of players who have been flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) have not been followed up following a 2007 ATP investigation.
The report goes on to claim that 16 players who have ranked in the top 50, including Grand Slam winners, are among those to have been flagged over suspicions that they have purposefully thrown matches, and all were allowed to continue playing.
The BBC has refused to publicly name the players allegedly involved, although it did reveal that eight of those who have been repeatedly brought to the TIU's attention are scheduled to play in the Australian Open, which gets underway on Monday.
The initial 2007 ATP investigation into betting syndicates linked to top-level players reportedly uncovered evidence of them in Russia, Northern Italy and Sicily.
Three of the matches under question were played at Wimbledon, while 28 of the players involved were recommended for further investigation, only for those findings not to be followed up.
More details of these findings are expected to come to light over the coming days.
Barney Corkhill
