Tennis' Governing Bodies Detail Scope of Match-Fixing Probe

Tennis' four international governing bodies revealed further information Friday regarding a probe into match-fixing that may be plaguing the sport.

According to ESPN.com, a three-person panel led by London-based lawyer and sports law expert Adam Lewis will conduct a review that is expected to take one year.

As part of the review, Lewis and his soon-to-be-announced panel partners will be empowered to request documents and interviews.

Per Tom Sweetman of CNN.com, Kazakhstani umpire Kirill Parfenov was suspended for life in February 2015 for conspiring to manipulate match scoring, while Croatian umpire Denis Pitner was suspended for one year beginning in August 2015 for allegedly betting on tennis.

Current and former players have also acknowledged that match-fixing offers are a real issue within the sport of tennis.

As seen in this video courtesy of CNN-IBN News, 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli admits she has heard about such situations despite never experiencing one herself:

According to Kevin Mitchell of the Guardian, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic discussed an incident in which he was asked if he had interest in throwing a match a decade ago:

"

I was not approached directly. Well ... I was approached through people that were working with me at that time, that were with my team. Of course, we threw it away right away. It didn't even get to me, the guy that was trying to talk to me, he didn't even get to me directly. There was nothing out of it.

Unfortunately there were some, in those times, those days, rumors, some talks, some people were going around. They were dealt with. In the last six, seven years, I haven't heard anything similar. I personally was never approached directly, so I have nothing more to say about that.

"

While the acknowledgement of corruption in tennis by its governing bodies is a big step, there is a great deal of work to be done in order to ensure that it is snuffed out.

Lewis' investigation over the next year could go a long way toward making that happen, but cooperation and a willingness to clean up the sport from all involved are needed to make it a reality.    

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