BRIT CAUGHT UP IN TENNIS FIX SCANDAL

A MATCH featuring a British player is one of four played at Wimbledon to come under scrutiny by the tennis authorities over alleged fixing. Richard Bloomfield, then a 23-year-old wildcard ranked No 259 in the world, beat Argentina’s Carlos Berlocq, then world No 89, in straight sets in a first-round match in 2006. Around £340,000 was wagered on Berlocq to lose on the internet platform Betfair alone, prompting a Grand Slam committee probe that took no further action. The Tennis Integrity Unit, which was later put in place to investigate suspect games, did not come into operation until 2008. There is no suggestion that

Bloomfield did anything wrong on that occasion, or in a second scrutinised game he was involved in at a tournament in America in 2010.

That win for Bloomfield in newport, was against Christophe Rochus and attracted more than £1million in bets on his victory. Betfair confirmed they had reported that to the TiU, who made no further comment.

Sportsmail is unaware of any evidence implicating Berlocq or Rochus in wrongdoing.

At the time of Bloomfield’ s Wimbledon win — his only maindraw victory at the All england Club during his career — he said he was unaware of anything unusual around the match, calling the betting revelations ‘unbelievable’.

He said: ‘i didn’t know anything about it. it is indescribable. My mates called about it and i didn’t believe them. i don’t do any kind of betting and i don’t even know how to play poker or slot machines.

‘i can’t believe i am talking about something like this. i beat him fair and square. i don’t want the win to be overshadowed.’

Bloomfield, now 32, said nobody from the tennis authorities spoke to him about any concerns on the day of the match. it is not clear if they followed up later. He was unavailable for comment when contacted by Sportsmail yesterday at the norfolk school where he now works as a tennis coach.

Two more of the Wimbledon matches featured italian players — Filippo Volandri and Potito starace — who have both come under scrutiny on multiple occa-ccasions for involvement inin matches with irregularr betting.

Volandri, 34, was cited more than any other player in a dossier of matches with strange betting patterns, compiled for the ATP in 2008.

starace was banned for life last year by the italianalian Tennis Federation for match-matchfixing offences, although the ban was lifted on appeal.

Volandri’s three- set defeat by Wayne Arthurs at Wimbledon in 2005 sparked a probe after heavy betting on the Australian. The same year, starace lost in three sets in sW19 to Belgium’s Gilles elseneer, who later alleged he had been offered $100,000 to lose that match. it is unclear if the investigations reached a conclusion but none has been made public.

The fourth Wimbledon match confirmed by Sportsmail as being probed by the authorities took place in 2009 between Jurgen Melzer, who has been ranked as high as no 8 in the world, and Wayne Odesnik.

Sportsmail can reveal an investigation by the TiU took anti-corruption officers to several countries, seeking explanations for strange betting patterns on Odesnik’s defeat. six- figure sums were wagered on the specific 3-0 scoreline hours before the match started, hundreds of times the levels expected.

secret TiU documents seen by Sportsmail show Odesnik turned whistleblower for the authorities after that incident and after being caught with performance-enhancing drugs. He was recently banned for 15 years for the latest serious drugs offence of his career.

Sportsmail is not aware of any evidence to implicate Melzer in any wrongdoing. A variety of other matches at the All england Club the years have been c central to strange betting movements but were not subject to formal probes. ‘irregular’ betting can bbe triggered for reasons as mundane as injury news abouabout a player or a particular individual i nd iv idg ambler having one big punt for a legitimate reason. An All england Club spokesman said: ‘ Wimbledon underlined the sport’s zero-tolerance approach to all aspects of corruption. Tennis remains committed to meeting the challenge all sports face from corrupt betting practices.

‘We have procedures and sanctions in place to deal with any suspected corruption and have shown we will act decisively when our integrity rules are broken.’