The International Tennis Federation, the ATP, the WTA Tour and the four Grand Slams published the findings of the panel in a 66-page report.
The review said that “professional tennis is neither systematically nor institutionally corrupt.”
The review said it had examined 73 matches over the past five years, and 45 remain under suspicion “from a betting perspective.” It didn’t say which matches were still under suspicion.
“That said, we have found no evidence of any ’Mafia’ involvement in corrupting the integrity of tennis,” the review said. “We do not doubt that criminal elements may be involved in seeking to subvert or corrupt some players-officials and that they may even involve organized criminal gangs.”
Betting in tennis drew attention last year after fourth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko withdrew against 87th-ranked Martin Vassallo Arguello in the third set of a match in Poland because of a foot injury. An online betting site, in an unprecedented move, voided all bets on the match because of suspicious betting patterns.
Since the Davydenko match, others have said they have been approached by outsiders trying to influence a match. Belgian player Gilles Elseneer said he was offered — and turned down — more than $100,000 to lose a first-round match against Potito Starace of Italy at Wimbledon in 2005.
“There are strong intelligence indications, however, that some players are vulnerable to corrupt approaches and there are people outside tennis who seek to corrupt those within the sport,” the review said.
Five players, all Italians, have been fined or suspended for betting on tennis.
In February, the French Open filed suit in a bid to ban online gambling companies from offering bets on the Grand Slam tournament, but last month a Belgian court ruled in favor of the betting companies. The French Open starts Sunday.
Besides noting the 45 matches to be investigated further, the review panel made 15 recommendations that the four bodies accepted, including agreeing upon a uniform anti-corruption program and an integrity unit.
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