Three Wimbledon matches raise concerns about fixing

The Tennis Integrity Unit, an independent body that investigates corruption based in London, has suspicions about three matches at Wimbledon based on unusual betting patterns, it says in a briefing report released Wednesday.

While not giving specifics, the report says that two of the suspicious matches took place during qualifying rounds and the other was in the main competition.

The report cautions that an alert on its own is not evidence of match-fixing. Other factors could have caused the strange betting, such as "incorrect odds-setting; well-informed betting; player fitness, fatigue and form; playing conditions and personal circumstances." But, the TIU says every alert is assessed as an indicator that something inappropriate may have happened and that it could lead to a full investigation.

Getting alerts in big tournaments doesn't occur that often. According to BuzzFeed, this is only the second time one has been announced about Wimbledon.

Overall this year, the report notes, alerts are down. In thousands of professional matches played, there have been 83 alerts, compared to 121 for the same period in 2016.

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