Two tennis players slapped with huge bans and fines after breaking corruption rules | Tennis | Sport
Two tennis players have been heavily punished for breaking anti-corruption rules (Image: GETTY)
Two tennis players have been banned for a combined total of more than six years after they were found to have broken anti-corruption rules. Gustavo Tedesco and Gyulnara Nazarova, from Brazil and Russia respectively, were sanctioned by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Wednesday.
Tedesco, 21, admitted to six breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP) in 2022. The youngster, who was previously ranked 423rd by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), was found to have ‘contrived the outcome’ of three World Tennis Tour matches over a three-month period in 2022.
He was also found to have facilitated ‘wagering’ and has been suspended for two years and three months as a result of those offences.
Tedesco has also been fined a total of £10,955, of which £7,668 is suspended. He was given 10 days to appeal the verdict to an anti-corruption hearing officer, but elected not to do so. As such, he will be unable to return to tennis until 2028.
Nazarova, meanwhile, was found to have made ‘corrupt approaches’ to another player in 2019 and has been hit with a harsher punishment.
The 27-year-old, who has been inactive since 2020, has been suspended for four years and fined £7,307, none of which is suspended.
He was charged by the ITIA in December but failed to provide a response, meaning his suspension came into effect in January. As a result, he will be banned until 2030.
During their periods of ineligibility, both players will be prohibited from events sanctioned by members of the ITIA. These include the ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Federation Francaise de Tennis, Wimbledon and United States Tennis Association (USTA).
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They will also be unable to coach at or attend any events held by the above organisations until their respective suspensions are over. It comes just weeks after five other tennis stars and officials were banned over corruption offences by the ITIA.
Russian player Alana Tuayeva and Nikol Palecek of Serbia were listed alongside officials Marko Ristic, Zsolt Bagosi and Tamas Tarnai in a statement issued by the independent body.
Two months ago, French player Quentin Folliot was hit with a massive £52,146 fine after being found guilty of match-fixing. He was also banned for nearly two decades and will be unable to return to tennis until 2044.
An investigation concluded that Folliot was a ‘central figure in a network of players operating on behalf of a match-fixing syndicate’.
Several other players were implicated in the same investigation, with Jaimee Floyd-Angele, Paul Valsecchi, Luc Fomba, Lucas Bouquet and Enzo Rimoli also being reprimanded.
