lations of suspicious betting patterns in tennis matches have led to the decision by tennis officials to conduct an independent review into anti-corruption measures.

An investigation carried out by BBC and BuzzFeed News said that tennis authorities have been warned about 16 players that have been ranked inside the top 50, without the ATP or WTA tours being specified.

The report was based on leaked documents on top of an original analysis of 26,000 matches that took place between 2009 and 2015.

As many as 15 players were identified as losing heavy-betting matches often.

The report said that the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), which was set up in 2008 following a previous suspicious betting investigation into 28 players, had not been able to take further action as it could only act on future events.

BBC Radio 5 live tennis correspondent Russell Fuller said: “The panel has been asked to look into how the TIU can become more transparent without compromising the need for confidentiality. It will also consider additional resources for the TIU and structural changes that may enhance its independence.

"It will also examine whether the scope and reach of the tennis integrity education programme should be extended. The sport's governing bodies have committed to making the recommendations of the review panel publicly available and to implement them all in full."