Data, content and integrity solutions provider Sportradar has hit out at the recommendations by the Independent Review of Integrity in Tennis report to impose a black-out on International Tennis Federation data sales.

Sportradar

Sportradar argues that while it supports the majority of the report’s recommendations, the loss of data sales would not only fail in practice but would also increase risks to the sport’s integrity – with potentially irreversible consequences. Sportradar signed a five-year deal, reported to be worth US$70m, to become ITF’s exclusive data partner back in 2016.

Sportradar managing director of group operations, David Lampitt, said: “Attempting a total data black-out on a sport has never been done, or even trialled or tested before. Counter-evidence and expert analysis indicate that such an approach is likely to have a harmful effect on integrity, which would be hard to reverse if unsuccessful.

“So, the panel is staking its reputation, and that of the sport, on an uncertain ‘guess’, when there is good evidence that a different approach and an incremental process of implementing enhanced and targeted measures would be more likely to deliver successful outcomes and integrity benefits.

“If the recommendations remain unchanged, they would push the betting market underground where the integrity issues would be out of sight. This may give the veneer of improving the situation but would not deal with the underlying issues. These must not be brushed under the carpet.

“It’s important to point out that the relative risk that the review attributes to the different levels of tennis is also misleading. In 2017, and consistently over the last four years, ITF tennis has, in fact, had the lowest risk of corruption across all the levels of the professional game, including the Grand Slams.

“Of course, integrity risks exist across all levels. But they are most prevalent at the mid-level of the men’s game, so the rationale for applying the most draconian measures to the ITF Men’s and women’s competitions and recommending relatively modest changes at the other levels doesn’t tally with the evidence.

“Ultimately our interests, like the panel's and other stakeholders involved, including the tennis governing bodies as well as the betting companies, are focused on safeguarding a clean sport. We want to be transparent about our submissions as we believe the evidence is important to ensure decisions are not taken that may have unintended and harmful consequences for the sport.”

The final Independent Review of Integrity in Tennis report is expected to be published before the end of this year.