Punters Are Sliding Into Thanasi Kokkinakis’ DMs With Match-Fix Bribes

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Published

January 19, 2016

When you imagine the shady, criminal cabal allegedly pulling the strings of tennis’ all-encompassing match-fixing scandal, certain qualities come to mind. Subtlety. Subterfuge. Discretion.

Not using Facebook to do your dirty business.

Yet, here we are. World #86 Thanasi Kokkinakis told 3AW he’d been the target of some dodgy dealers, who tried use social media to offer bribes in return for tanking matches.

The 19-year-old Aussie said the offers didn’t happen “face-to-face, but on social media you read some stuff on your Facebook page, just these randoms from nowhere saying ‘I’ll pay you this much to tank the game.’”

Natch, ’cause he’s a well-known sportsperson, the stakes are quite literally higher. He says the social media abuse anybody on Earth is liable to face has been ramped up by the waves of cash that could be won or lost with every point:

“It’s interesting, you get a lot of stuff if you lose a match that maybe the betters or something think you should win.

You just get abused on social media. It’s a very common thing.”

While there’s a decent chance the messages are just sourced from basic, salty punters who blew their stack on any random Kokkinakis match, his claim makes Novak Djokovic‘s assertion this thing isn’t happening at a top level look slightly suspect.

Kokkinakis is sitting out the Australian Open while recovering from shoulder surgery.

Surgery today went well ?? Thanks to everyone at the hospital and all your messages and support ???? Will be back on court as soon as i can 🙂

Posted by Thanasi Kokkinakis on Tuesday, 29 December 2015

At least that clears him from any other match-fixing suspicions for the duration of the tourney.

Source: ABC.
Photo: Mark Runnacles / Getty.