\n<\/p>\n
Realising undercover police officers were waiting off court was the moment Oliver Anderson knew he had been rumbled.<\/b><\/p>\n
Anderson had just lost in the second round of an ATP Challenger tournament, but it was his previous match – a three-set comeback win – that sparked the attention of the authorities.<\/p>\n
“Anyone who was watching that match would have instantly thought something was up,” the Australian recalls.<\/p>\n
In January 2016, Anderson won the Australian Open boys’ singles title in front of a home crowd, demonstrating his potential in a field featuring future top-10 stars Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur.<\/p>\n
Nine months later, the Brisbane teenager was busted for throwing a set.<\/p>\n
A decade on, the 27-year-old – who has returned to the professional ranks after being ignited by a “quarter-life crisis” – is still uncomfortable talking in depth about the details.<\/p>\n
“It all happened very quickly. I was approached, decided it was doable, I’m doing it, then I’m walking off the court and I’m in serious trouble,” he tells BBC Sport.<\/p>\n
Match-fixing syndicates, known for preying on vulnerable victims, contacted Anderson in the days leading up to the now-notorious Challenger event in Traralgon, Australia.<\/p>\n
The teenager’s progress had been derailed by injury after his Melbourne victory and, having missed several months of income following surgery, he thought purposely losing a set would be an easy way to fulfil financial commitments.<\/p>\n