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MELBOURNE. — It was very much business as usual for Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams at the Australian Open tennis tournament yesterday, even if allegations of widespread match-fixing cast a shadow over the opening day of the year’s first Grand Slam.

A bombshell report alleging widespread match-fixing in tennis rocked the Australian Open as the season’s first Grand Slam tournament began under a cloud yesterday. The BBC and BuzzFeed claimed 16 top-50 players in the past decade, including Grand Slam champions, had been repeatedly suspected of fixing matches for betting syndicates.

Three suspect matches were at Wimbledon, and eight of the players under suspicion were due to take to the courts for the Australian Open in Melbourne, the report claimed.

None of the “core group” of 16 players had faced sanctions, added the report, which was based on secret files leaked by a group of anonymous whistle-blowers. Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) chief Chris Kermode said the timing of the report was “disappointing” and rejected any suggestion that match-fixing had been covered up.

But as the sun shone and more than 70 000 fans streamed through the gates at Melbourne Park, the great and the good of tennis officialdom filed into a room in the bowels of Rod Laver Arena to defend their record on battling corruption.

On the pristine blue showcourt only a few metres away, however, first Williams, then Djokovic gave notice that they had no intention of relinquishing lightly the dominance they exerted over tennis last year. Williams had not completed a set since her dream of winning all four Grand Slams in one year was dashed in the US Open semi-finals in September, yet she proved far too strong for Italian Camila Giorgi in their first-round match.

Dispelling any doubts about her fitness and form, the 34-year-old American moved freely on the troublesome knee that forced her to quit the Hopman Cup mid-match two weeks ago.

“It’s great. It was an hour and 43 minutes and I didn’t feel it at all,” the six-times Australian Open champion said after her 6-4, 7-5 victory.

“Okay, I haven’t played in a long time, but I have been playing for 30 years . . .”

Djokovic, who also won three Grand Slams last year, has been far more active than Williams in recent months but has not been beaten since August, a run that never looked like ending in his 115-minute clash with South Korean teenager Chung Hyeon. The 28-year-old played very much the elder statesman after the 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory, complimenting his 19-year-old opponent on his game but advising him to come back and try again when he had more experience.

“A nice opening match with real Australian summer conditions,” said Djokovic after embarking on his quest to match Roy Emerson’s record of six Australian Open crowns.

“You try to stay composed, not get carried away by heat. Of course, there were some long exchanges that got both of us a little bit short on air.

“But I think physically I was really good on the court. I managed to play the best tennis when I needed to.” Finding that extra gear when required is one of the factors that have helped Roger Federer to 17 Grand Slam singles titles but the Swiss barely needed to move out of first in his opening match against Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili.

The 34-year-old’s 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory set him on a path he hopes will end with a first title in one of the sport’s majors since he triumphed at Wimbledon in 2012. — Reuters/AFP.