Served with Andy Roddick Podcast Summary

Episode: Sports Gambling in Tennis, Fonseca’s First 500, & Bencic Comeback
Date: October 28, 2025
Host(s): Andy Roddick with Mike Tucky (Producer) and Jon Wertheim (“JW”)

Overview

This episode dives deep into the complexities and consequences of sports gambling in tennis, addressing the influx of betting partnerships, increasing player abuse, and integrity challenges. Andy and Mike begin by celebrating remarkable recent player stories, then welcome Jon Wertheim for an in-depth discussion on the risks, ethical questions, and the urgent need for transparency and player protections as tennis embraces the gambling industry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Racket Rundown: Celebrating Standout Stories

• Belinda Bencic’s Comeback

  • Returned from maternity leave, skyrocketing from world No. 913 to No. 11 in one year.
  • [02:12] Andy: “I am happy to talk about it. Belinda Bencic winning last week is up to 11 in the world. Her year end ranking in 2024 was 913 in the world… That’s absurd.”
  • Praises her as a model professional and highlights the rarity of such a comeback.

• Ann Li’s Breakout Year

  • Noted for a 33–24 win/loss record and achieving a career-high ranking at age 25.
  • [03:37] Andy: “Just a great year. Not one that we've talked about a ton. Still doing work at the end of the year…”

• João Fonseca’s First ATP 500 Win

  • Youngest since Nadal to reach back-to-back third rounds at French Open and Wimbledon.
  • [05:27] Andy: “Props to Xiao Fonseca. Listen, we've been spoiled by the likes of Rafa and Carlos… This kid’s the real deal.”
  • Praises Fonseca’s maturity and locker room likability.

• Jannik Sinner’s Ongoing Dominance

  • Noted for winning tight matches against top players.
  • [06:18] Andy: “That’s how dominant Yannick Sinner’s been, especially indoors.”

2. Sports Gambling in Tennis: Scale, Impact, and Integrity

The Explosion of Gambling and Its Effects

• Enormous Global Betting Volume

  • [09:07] Mike: “100 million pounds wagered on tennis globally each day… 1.6 million social media posts analyzed by Threat Matrix in 2024.”

• Player Abuse Linked to Gambling

  • 40% of all detected social abuse comes from angry gamblers.
  • 458 pro tennis players targeted with abuse in 2024 – often lower-ranked or Challenger level players with little notoriety.
  • [10:12] Andy: “You are going and trolling players that aren’t playing on the tours, that are just trying to scrape by... That’s so stupid.”
  • 5 players received 26% of all abuse; 97 accounts responsible for a large share of it.

• Micro-Betting Complexity

  • [13:02] Andy: “1500 unique betting opportunities per ATP match… Someone can say, ‘I’m going to double fault the first point of my fourth service game.’”
  • Raises challenges around monitoring and incentive for isolated “point-shaving.”

• Revenue and Distribution Unclear

  • [16:06] Andy: “How much of these betting deals is going directly to prize money?... It didn’t go up a dime… for 20 years before that.”

Special Segment: Jon Wertheim Discusses Integrity Risks

• Tennis Is Especially Vulnerable

  • [20:11] JW: “There are few sports easier to manipulate than tennis… now it’s not just match fixing, but micro-bets — all of these prop bets.”

• Recap of High-Profile Match-Fixing (Davidenko 2007)

  • Explained as an insider trading-like scenario, but very hard to prove.
  • [25:08] Andy: “If I remember correctly, you wouldn’t think... a guy No. 4 in the world wins the first set, that you’d get $7 million in action for the other guy to win the match...”

• Threats and Duress

  • Some players may be coerced by criminal elements, not just lured by profits.
  • [28:39] JW: “I think there’s a whole element in some of these match fixing cases of duress and defense. And we know where your family lives…”

• Transparency and Player Compensation

  • Repeatedly question how much of new gambling revenue flows to players, who receive the brunt of abuse and risk.
  • [32:04] JW: “Anytime you see a data deal... that's just a euphemism for we're making a deal with a sportsbook. ...What are the players getting out of these data deals?”

3. Timeline: Tennis and Betting — From Ban to Embrace

• 2018: ATP bans betting sponsorships after integrity concerns.
• 2020: Ban reversed amid COVID-19 revenue shortfalls.
• 2021–2023: Data/streaming partnerships accelerate; SportsRadar secures six-year ATP deal, opening floodgates to global micro-betting.
• 2024: Threat Matrix launched to monitor online abuse (8300 players, 40 languages).
• 2025: Major bans for match fixing handed out, and controversial sponsorships (e.g., 1xBet) signed.
  • [45:14] Mike: “SportsRadar secures a six year global ATP data embedding streaming rights deal, covers 250+ tournaments, 17,000+ matches annually…”

4. Player Protection, Abuse, & a Call for Accountability

• Abuse Disproportionately Targets Women

  • [43:31] JW: “…disproportionate. It does seem like the women get the disproportionate brunt of this.”

• Demand for Transparency

  • Consistently ask for clarity on:
    • Distribution of gambling revenues to players.
    • Details of safeguards and responses to player abuse and threats.
  • [41:33] Andy: “Wouldn’t it be rational to say, okay, this sucks, but here is the financial offset to that very clearly, right?… There needs to be a very detailed offset…”

• The Paradox of Sponsorship

  • Players banned from having gambling sponsors, even while the tours themselves profit.
  • [32:50] JW: “Imagine if the US Open said, ‘Here’s a splashy press release. But if any player is seen driving a Lincoln, they're automatically banned. The product is so problematic that the players would face a ban... but not problematic enough so that you can take sponsorship money if you’re the institution.’”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bencic’s Comeback
  • [02:51] Andy: “That's absurd. Like, 913 is like, you don't even… don't really have a ranking. Almost non ranking. 11 in the world. Crazy cool story.”
• On Gambling Revenue Transparency
  • [33:10] JW: “Simple question, simple math. How much money of this is going to waterfall down to the players?”
• On Abusive Messages
  • [12:19] Andy: “If you make a bet and you’re shocked that you lose money, you’re an idiot.”
• On Micro-Betting Risks
  • [21:12] JW: “…We’re in a world now where you don’t have to lose a match. You need to double fault the third service point of the second game of the second set. All of these micro bets and these prop bets, I think that’s where a lot of the issues arise.”
• On Player Safeguards
  • [47:03] Andy: “How do we value online threats? Is it the responsibility of the Tour? If you’re going to be in on profiting... what are the fail safes, what are the responses to threats? How are they valued versus in person threats?”
• On Betting and Abuse Culture
  • [52:42] Andy: “All you losers tapping away your keyboards at people who are actually trying to, you know, blood, sweat and tears on the tennis court. This is a you problem. This is not a player problem.”
• On the Growth of Gambling in Tennis
  • [52:41] Andy: “Cities have been built with people going there knowing that they're most likely going to lose.”

Timestamps by Section

• 01:13–07:45 — Racket Rundown: Bencic, Li, Fonseca, Sinner
• 07:53–17:02 — The Scale and Consequences of Betting in Tennis
• 17:02–39:12 — JW Joins: NBA Betting Scandal Parallels, Tennis Integrity, Davidenko Case, Threats and Intimidation
• 39:12–46:42 — Financial Transparency, Player Compensation, Timeline of Betting Partnerships
• 46:42–50:38 — Threat Matrix, Player Abuse & Data
• 50:38–53:56 — Final Thoughts: Is Tennis Handling This Well? Calls for Accountability, Balancing Growth with Player Protection

Conclusion

The episode masterfully balances tennis storytelling with hard-hitting questions about the sport’s future as betting partnerships proliferate. The hosts challenge listeners (and the sport’s authorities) to demand transparency, fair compensation for players, and robust systems to protect those most affected by sports gambling—the athletes themselves. All agree: Betting is here to stay, but the tennis community must do far more to ensure its growth doesn’t come at the players’ expense.

Open invitations were issued throughout the episode to any tennis executives or officials willing to come on the show and answer for these issues “on the record.”

(End of summary)