Serbian tennis player Stefan Milicevic handed 24-year ban for match-fixing
Serbian tennis player Stefan Milicevic has been handed a 24-year ban from tennis after being charged with fixing matches and recruiting players into an alleged corrupt network, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Thursday. The 29-year-old has been suspended until October 2050 and fined $70,000.
Milicevic was charged with fixing six matches, including five in which he competed, and attempting to fix six more between 2022 and 2024. The ITIA also accused him of recruiting or attempting to recruit multiple professional players into a network linked to match-fixing during the same period.
The Serbian, who competed primarily in lower-tier tournaments, reached a career-high singles ranking of 1,338 in 2014. According to the ITIA, the alleged network resulted in other players fixing matches. However, the agency did not disclose the matches involved or identify the other players accused of participating.
24-YEAR BAN AFTER PROBE
The ITIA said Milicevic did not engage with its investigation or respond to its findings, despite seven separate attempts to contact him. His lack of cooperation was cited as a factor in the severity of the punishment.
The ban prevents him from playing, coaching at or attending events organised or sanctioned by the ATP, WTA, Grand Slams, World Tennis or any national tennis association. Milicevic will remain barred from the sport until he is 53.
FOLLIOT ALSO BANNED FOR 20 YEARS
Milicevic’s suspension follows another major match-fixing case involving French player Quentin Folliot, who was banned for 20 years in December after an investigation identified him as a central figure in a network allegedly working for a match-fixing syndicate.
Folliot, who reached a career-high ranking of 488 in 2022, denied charges relating to 11 matches played between 2022 and 2024. However, a hearing upheld 27 of the 30 charges against him, covering 10 of those matches.
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