Tennis player Milicevic banned 24 years for match-fixing

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has banned Serbian player Stefan Milicevic for 24 years and fined him US$70,000 after finding he fixed six matches and tried to recruit other professionals into a corrupt network.

The agency said Thursday that Milicevic, 29, fixed six matches between 2022 and 2024 and attempted to fix six more. It also found he recruited, or tried to recruit, several professional players, and that his approaches led other players to fix matches. The agency did not name those players in its public findings, according to reports from BBC Sport and Tennis Now.

The suspension runs until Oct. 8, 2050. While banned, Milicevic may not play in, coach at or attend any event organized or sanctioned by the ATP, the WTA, the Grand Slams or any national tennis association.

The case did not go before an independent hearing officer. The ITIA said it issued Milicevic a notice of major offence on Sept. 24 and made repeated attempts to reach him through several channels, but received no response. Under its sanctioning guidelines, a deemed sanction took effect on Oct. 9 because he did not contest the charges.

Milicevic reached a career-high singles ranking of 1,338 in August 2014. His last official match was on June 10, 2024, according to the ITIA findings as reported by Tennis Now.

A 24-year ban is among the longest handed out in the sport. Tennis Now reported the same fine and period, and The New York Times and the New York Post also reported the 24-year suspension on Thursday.

The ITIA is the independent body that investigates and prosecutes corruption in professional tennis. Match-fixing cases in the sport have often involved lower-ranked players on the Challenger and ITF circuits, where prize money is small and betting markets on matches are still offered. Earlier sanctions have also reached into the thousands of dollars in fines and multi-year bans, including a 20-year suspension and US$70,000 fine for French player Quentin Folliot, as reported by CBS Sports.

The reports reviewed by Canada News Media do not name any Canadian player in the case. The ITIA has not said whether further sanctions against other players are expected.

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