Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/653685
21 Sport maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 16 MARCH 2016 TENNIS FORMULA 1 MOTOGP Italian prosecutor wants dozens of players probed for betting MORE than two dozen players who feature in evidence col- lected from gamblers should be investigated for possible links to betting rings, according to an Italian prosecutor. Roberto di Martino said he had collected internet chat logs and telephone conversations be- tween players and gamblers as part of a two-year probe into a suspected match-fixing ring in- volving Italian players. Italian duo Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali have already been charged. Both deny any wrongdoing and will appear in court in May. Di Martino said that the Ten- nis Integrity Unit (TIU) should probe the other players for pos- sible betting links. More than two dozen players who feature in evidence col- lected from gamblers should be investigated for possible links to betting rings, an Italian pros- ecutor has told the BBC and BuzzFeed News. Roberto di Martino said he had collected internet chat logs and telephone conversations be- tween players and gamblers as part of a two-year probe into a suspected match-fixing ring in- volving Italian players. Italian duo Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali have already been charged. Both deny any wrongdoing and will appear in court in May. Di Martino said that the Ten- nis Integrity Unit (TIU) should probe the other players for pos- sible betting links. "Surely if these foreign players were Italian, they would certain- ly have been at least questioned," Di Martino said. "They should have provided some explanations." Tennis is already reeling from revelations in a report by the BBC and BuzzFeed in January that 16 players who have been ranked in the top 50 had been repeatedly flagged to the TIU over concerns they had thrown matches. The allegations were further fuelled by former Australian professional Nick Lindahl plead- ing guilty in January to match- fixing in a minor tournament in 2013. Di Martino suspected more than 30 matches, including some at Wimbledon and the French Open, may have been corrupted. "Interestingly, they are not so- called second-tier tennis players, but also players of some impor- tance," he said. Roberto Di Martino I've got more to offer - Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton has warned his rivals that he still has much more to offer as he prepares to defend his Formula One crown THE 31-year-old is bidding to become the first British driver to win four championships when the season starts in Melbourne on Sunday. And he will head into the cur- tain-raiser as the title favourite with Mercedes' dominance, in which they have won 32 of the previous 38 races, showing no signs of abating. "I know that the guys and girls at the factory will keep pushing for more top results, so it's up to us drivers to go out there and nail it for them on track," Hamilton said. "People keep asking me about mo- tivation - but I just have to look at the faces of all those people to know what I'm fighting for. "I know there's still more to come from me - I think I've shown that in the past two years. There certainly needs to be some extra in my tank, as the competition will be stronger than ever this year." While Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg is ex- pected to provide the sternest examination of the Briton's title credentials, Ferrari, led by Sebas- tian Vettel, are also tipped to im- prove on last year's encouraging campaign. But Hamilton believes the big- gest challenge in 2016 could come by way of the clampdown on in- formation relayed to the driver from the pit wall. "The changes to the radio rules will have a big impact," Hamilton added. "The engineers now can't give you prompts or reminders that might affect performance during the race, so you have to re- member so much more. "This even applies to strategy, so when it's shifting throughout the race you won't be in the loop. It will be tough - but hopefully it will make for more exciting rac- es." Hamilton's team-mate Rosberg failed to win at any of the open- ing four rounds of what proved to be a bitterly disappointing year. So, naturally, the German, who is entering the final year of his Mer- cedes deal, is keen to get off to a better start in 2016. "I'm really hoping to bring back a couple of wins from the first flyaways to reward everyone at the factories for their hard work," Rosberg, 30, said. "There's such a positive vibe in the team and everybody gets so excited. I know they'll be cheer- ing us on at home every weekend, so it's our responsibility to deliver for them. "I've had a great winter and done a few things differently for this year. I've never felt more ready to go. It's going to be a great battle." Toto Wolff, whose Mercedes team are bidding for a third straight team title, added: "This is not a sport where you can relax. The minute you start being com- placent you lose out, so you have to keep the energy in the system and we are doing this all the time. "Likewise, the drivers need to keep raising their game. They are major competition for each other in the same car, which is not al- ways going to be easy to handle. "But with others also in the mix, it will be interesting to see how the dynamic evolves. We've shown in the past two seasons that there are no team orders - and this does not change." Lewis Hamilton: 'I know there's still more to come from me' Márquez upbeat after late testing gains MARC Márquez says that he ap- proaches the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix with renewed confidence after taking a "big step forward" in the closing stages of testing. Márquez conceded that he and Honda were "far from where we'd like to be" at the start of the final group test at Losail, but made final day improvements to place fourth overall. Márquez, who claimed titles in 2013 and 2014, is now more hope- ful of taking the fight to Jorge Lor- enzo and Yamaha, the reigning champions. "When we came here [for the final test] two weeks ago we did a big step forward with the set-up at the very end of the test," Márquez commented. "I really felt at ease with the bike, especially in my last run that was quite late in the evening, with the dew already starting to form. "That's positive in view of the race, even if we're not yet where we'd like to be and still have a margin for improvement with the set-up. "The Losail layout may not be the most favourable for our bike, but in the past we've scored a podium and a win here with the RC213V, so we'll fight to get the best result. "This year there are a few vari- ables that aren't yet completely predictable, such as tyre wear at race distance, for example, and the bike's behaviour with the new electronics. "Still, Honda never cease to work hard, as is the case for me and the whole team, so I'm positive and look forward to the action start- ing!"