Protecting the integrity of tennis in the wake of the recent match-fixing and doping scandals is the biggest challenge facing the sport over the next decade, ATP Executive Chairman Chris Kermode has said.

Kermode was appointed for a second term in charge of men’s tennis yesterday, having taken over the role in January 2014.

It comes just days after the world of sport was rocked by the news that five-times grand slam winner Maria Sharapova had failed her drugs test at the Australian Open and as the sport deals with questions about match-fixing.

“I look forward to working with the other governing bodies of tennis to continue to protect the integrity of our sport,” Kermode said in a statement.

In an interview in The Times, Kermode added: “People have to believe what they are watching.

“More scandals would totally undermine our integrity. That is why we have the maximum incentive to catch athletes for breaking the rules.”

Tennis has been dogged by instances of doping violations, with Marin Cilic, Viktor Troicki and Barbora Strycova all receiving bans in the last few years.

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