Serb player banned to 2050 for tennis match-fixing
A player from Serbia has been given a 24-year suspension from tennis - one of the most severe punishments imposed by anti-corruption investigators outside of a lifetime ban - for match-fixing.
Stefan Milicevic, a Serbian tennis player, has been handed a 24-year ban from the sport for match-fixing. Milicevic, who peaked at a world ranking of 1,338 in 2014, was accused of fixing six matches, five of which he participated in. The 29-year-old was also charged with attempting to fix six additional matches between 2022 and 2024.
The International Tennis Integrity Authority (ITIA) further alleged that Milicevic sought to recruit or entice multiple professional players into a corrupt network, with many of these players also implicated in match-fixing. The ITIA cited Milicevic's failure to cooperate with the investigation as a contributing factor to the harsh sentence.
Despite seven attempts, Milicevic did not respond to the ITIA, leading to the severe punishment. Milicevic, along with a £53,000 fine, will be barred from participating in any tennis-related activities until 2050, when he will be 53 years old. This includes playing, coaching, or attending events organized or sanctioned by the World Tennis, WTA, ATP, Grand Slams, or any national tennis associations.
In a separate case in December, French player Quentin Folliot received a 20-year ban after the ITIA found him to be a key figure in a network of players aligned with a match-fixing syndicate. Folliot, who reached a career-high ranking of 488 in 2022, denied charges related to 11 matches between 2022 and 2024, including eight in which he played.
However, at a hearing, 27 out of 30 charges against him, covering 10 of the 11 matches, were confirmed.
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