Stefan Milicevic has received a 24-year ban from professional tennis for his involvement in match-fixing and recruiting players into a corrupt network. The International Tennis Integrity Authority (ITIA) handed down one of the harshest suspensions outside of a lifetime ban, citing a failure to cooperate during the investigation.
Milicevic, 29, reached a career-high ranking of 1,338 in 2014 but competed mostly on tennis’s lower professional circuits. The ITIA charged him with fixing six matches, five of which he played in, and attempting to fix another six between 2022 and 2024. Alongside match-fixing, he was also accused of recruiting multiple professional players to join the corrupt scheme. Some of those recruited were themselves implicated in match-fixing by the ITIA.
The investigation faced obstacles. The ITIA said Milicevic “did not engage” despite seven attempts to contact him. His lack of cooperation contributed to the severity of the sanction.
Milicevic was fined £53,000 and cannot participate in any events organised or sanctioned by World Tennis, the WTA, ATP, Grand Slams, or national associations until October 2050. By then, he will be 53 years old. The ban prohibits him from playing, coaching, or attending such events.
The ITIA’s move follows a similar case in December, when French player Quentin Folliot was banned for 20 years. Folliot, whose highest ranking was 488 in 2022, was identified as a central figure in a match-fixing syndicate. He denied charges connected to 11 matches between 2022 and 2024, including eight in which he competed. A hearing upheld 27 of the 30 charges against him, covering 10 of those 11 matches.
Milicevic’s case reflects the ITIA’s ongoing efforts to tackle corruption in tennis’s lower tiers where players often face financial pressures. The length of the ban and the fine indicate the ITIA’s increasing intolerance for those who undermine the sport’s integrity and recruit others into match-fixing networks.
According to Joy Online.
