Serbian tennis player banned for 24 years over match-fixing charges
What's the story
Stefan Milicevic, a 29-year-old Serbian tennis player, has been handed a massive 24-year ban from the sport. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced the same on Thursday. Milicevic was charged with match-fixing and trying to recruit other players into an alleged corruption network. He has also been slapped with a $70,000 fine in addition to the lengthy suspension.
Details of misconduct
Milicevic charged with fixing six matches
Milicevic was accused of fixing six matches. He featured in five of those affairs and tried to fix six more between 2022 and 2024.
The Serbian player mainly competed in lower-tier tournaments but achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 1,338 in 2014.
The ITIA also accused him of recruiting or attempting to recruit several professional players into a network allegedly involved in match-fixing during this period.
Investigation findings
Allegations of recruiting players into match-fixing network
The ITIA claimed that the alleged network led to other players fixing matches. However, it did not disclose the specific matches or identify the other players involved.
Milicevic was accused of failing to cooperate with the investigation and ignoring its findings despite seven attempts by the agency to contact him.
His lack of engagement was cited as a factor in determining how serious his punishment should be.
Ban details
Milicevic banned from ATP, WTA, and Grand Slam tournaments
As per the terms of his ban, Milicevic is barred from playing in tournaments organized or sanctioned by the ATP, WTA, Grand Slams, World Tennis, or any national tennis association.
He has also been banned from coaching at or attending these tournaments.
Notably, the suspension will keep him out of the sport until he turns 53.
Information
Milicevic played at University of Minnesota
According to The Independent, Milicevic played college tennis at the University of Minnesota and served as a coach at DePaul University in Chicago.