"A lot of times ... it's the betters who are mad that you lost a match," the 22-year-old said. "They are usually the more extreme ones, and those are usually the more aggressive tweets that you get after matches."
But at tennis's lower rungs, such as the ITF Futures level, the effects of gambling are significant in a very different way: Since prize money is so low, match-fixing becomes a tempting proposition.
"With the prize money at the level that it is, the reward is always going to outweigh the risk,” Golding told ITV, who published a story detailing his experience of turning down a €2,000 bribe to throw a set.
According to Golding, another reason these matches are targeted is their low visibility.
“The real problem the ITF faces is that a lot of these matches are played in front of one man and his dog," the Brit said.
Another struggle, for Golding in particular, was the unexpected stress after reporting the incident to the Tennis Integrity Unit like being a part of the hearing.
“There is a problem in tennis and it does need to be stamped out, so I’m sure I did do the right thing," he said. "But it is a tough process to go through.”
