A former tennis player who competed in the Australian Open is alleged to have given tips about fixed matches to players and coaches who won tens of thousands of dollars gambling on corrupted results.

The promising junior and former top-200 ranked player, who Fairfax Media has decided not to name, appeared destined for a successful career, but was described as "uncontrollable" by a former coach.

He is believed to have provided information to six men arrested in July on suspicion of betting on about 10 matches.

A former player and coach, Matthew Fox, was the only person charged after the raids. He is close to several well-known Australian players, and is listed as the coach of James Lemke, a 26-year-old from Melbourne ranked in the 1300s. Fox declined to comment, and Lemke did not return calls. Lemke is not believed to be involved in the alleged corruption.

Detectives allege Fox received information that he passed to five other men, who were arrested. Only one of those men, a former player and coach who has worked with former Australian No. 1 Marinko Matosevic, is involved in tennis.

The unnamed former player denied he provided information to the group, saying he had not been interviewed by police or tennis officials and had little contact with those involved in the sport in Victoria.

It is alleged Fox and the other five men won about $50,000 betting on the matches.

Fox was charged with two counts of using corrupt conduct information for betting purposes, punishable by 10 years' imprisonment, and two counts each of trafficking and possessing a drug of dependence.

Police will allege the 27-year-old from Brighton, who reached a career-high ranking of 1264 in 2009, had been trafficking cocaine.

The Purana taskforce continue to investigate the alleged fixing, with the assistance of the Tennis Integrity Unit and Tennis Australia, a police spokeswoman said.

"Corruption in sport is an international issue that is coming to our shores and we are committed to taking steps to create an environment that will make it difficult for individuals and or organised crime to infiltrate our sporting codes."

It is unclear whether the unnamed former player, who once claimed a set in a grand slam against a top-10 player, had provided tips about matches in which he was playing, or had received information about other fixed matches.

The fixes are believed to have been predominantly in Challenger and Futures tournaments, rather than more prominent ATP Tour matches or grand slams, in Australia and overseas.

It is unclear when the matches were played, although several tennis sources say the former player had been providing tips for at least 12 months. The player may have been directly involved in the fix, or passed on information about matches that he had known were corrupted.

The former player remains a coach, and has recently travelled to several international Futures tournaments.

Futures events are the lowest tier of professional tennis, but betting markets are still framed for some tournaments despite total prize money of only $10,000.

On several occasions before his retirement, the player competed in Futures and Challenger tournaments against opponents that he had close relationships with, but it is unclear whether these matches have come under scrutiny.

The revelations about the former elite junior are again likely to raise questions about the behaviour of Australia's talented youngsters, only weeks after rising star Bradley Mousley was banned for a year after testing positive to ecstasy.

Concerns about match fixing in the lower tiers of professional tennis continue to fester amid fears the sport's watchdog operates a toothless anti-corruption regime and punishes only no-name players.

The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), established in 2008 by the sport's governing bodies, has been criticised for being under-resourced and lacking transparency. The unit does not comment on investigations, but according to its website nine players have been found guilty of corruption since 2011.

All of these were lower-ranked players, with the only prominent player linked to match fixing - although he was later cleared - being former world number four Nikolai Davydenko.

Gambling on tennis matches is not officially monitored by Sportradar, the betting data supplier that has assisted in several international corruption investigations, including the Southern Stars fixing scandal in soccer's Victorian Premier League.

The most common fix detected in tennis matches involves two players playing to achieve an agreed result, or the score in a particular set.

Generally this involves one player losing the first set but winning the match. Players either approach their opponents or are individually contacted by a fixing syndicate. Fixing can also occur when information about an injured player is shared with punters, and the player retires hurt during the match.

Tennis Australia did not respond to requests for comment about whether any Australian players or officials had ever been disciplined in relation to match fixing.

A match in Germany last month has reportedly been referred to the TIU because betting markets installed a player as favourite to win, despite him being at long odds to claim the first set.

Odds on the Challenger singles match - between players who were also doubles partners - continued to shorten for the player who claimed victory, despite him being a set and 0-3 down. He won the match in three sets.

nbucci@fairfaxmedia.com.au