Despite the recent emergence of match-fixing controversy in tennis, the Australian Open organisers have decided not to ban the use of mobile phone by players.
MELBOURNE: Despite the recent emergence of match-fixing controversy in tennis, the Australian Open organisers have decided not to ban the use of mobile phone by players inside the Melbourne Park for the tournament starting Monday.
The organisers have adopted a tough stance on potential match-fixing and illegal gambling during the season's first Grand Slam by banning the use of courtside laptops - excluding reporters and statisticians - and blocking access to gambling websites within the tennis centre.
Sal Perna, a former detective, who will be looking after corruption cases during the tournament, made it clear that there will not be much difference for the players.
"They (players) probably won't notice much at all. We didn't really want to obstruct or cause problems for the players," Perna was quoted as saying by The Age.
"You could have gone to extreme lengths like banning mobile phones, but that would have been totally disproportionate. But we've found a comfortable balance between that.
"It's practical because we recognise corruption as an emerging issue overseas and Australia is not exempt, but we haven't had any recorded instances here," he added.
Tennis Australia (TA) has already adopted a zero tolerance policy on any fraudulent practices during the tournament and has even encouraged players to report against each other if they notice anything suspicious.
Perna said that the new policy backed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) states that if any player were found indulging in unfair means, he or she would be thrown out of the tournament and could face fines and life bans.
"The policy is very broad, but it has all the sanctions you would expect -- you can be banned from the site, banned from the Open, suspended indefinitely, there are fines, a whole list of sanctions you can expect for breaches," he said.
Already nine players have reported of being approached by bookies or have heard of similar approaches after the whole saga of gambling in tennis came to light in a match between Russian Nikolay Davydenko and Argentine Martin Vassallo Arguello in Poland last August.
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