TENNIS will impose a zero-tolerance policy on anybody found to have been involved in on-line gambling on matches. He or she faces a lifetime ban from the sport, ATP chief executive Etienne de Villiers has announced..

De Villiers was responding to criticism from John McEnroe that the game’s integrity had been put on the line by suspicions of collusion linked to on-line gambling after the launch of a special investigation into Nikolay Davydenko’s retirement from July’s Prokom Open in Poland and the associated betting patterns. McEnroe called the matter a huge negative for the sport and accused the ATP of negligence and complacency.

The gambling issue has seen the appointment of two former Scotland Yard detectives with expertise in organised Eastern European crime syndicates as special investigators.

“We have never stopped pursuing every potential and possible avenue to preserve the integrity of our sport,” said de Villiers. “We have rigorous programmes and severe penalties. We can fine a player up to $100,000 for transgressing the code, and a maximum lifetime ban.

“And, trust me, if we find anyone, be it a player, entourage, anyone, they will have the maximum ban imposed. There’s going to be zero tolerance here. This is not something that we in tennis will condone.”

Along with the long-established memorandum of understanding with Betfair, the world’s biggest internet betting exchange – which alerted the ATP that 10 times the normal number of bets were placed on the outcome of Davydenko’s match against Martin Vassallo Arguello – de Villiers said agreements had been struck with 10 other on-line gambling concerns. “We are way ahead of most governing bodies in terms of this issue.”

De Villiers also said there may be a rule that says anyone who has heard of a gambling approach or incident and does not report it will be in violation of the ATP’s Integrity Code and subject to penalty. “It’s like golf. You’re not allowed to ignore a rule of golf or overlook it,” he said. “We saw this coming. We’re never going to be complacent.”