Suspicions of match-fixing and potential inappropriate sports betting behavior continue to decrease in tennis.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced on Monday that it received 19 match alerts in the second quarter of 2024, down 36% year-over-year.
The number of alerts from April through June also fell from the 25 reported in the first quarter.
The ITIA said in the release of its findings that an alert “is not evidence of match-fixing. Unusual betting patterns can occur for many reasons other than match-fixing — for example, incorrect odds-setting; well-informed betting; player fitness, fatigue or form; playing conditions and personal circumstances.”
The ITIA conducts a full and confidential investigation when an alert turns up the suggestion of corrupt activity.
The Women’s World Tennis Tour 15s received the most alerts at seven, while the Men’s Tour 15s saw four. The Men’s Tour 25s and ATP Challenger 50 ranks each reported three and the ATP’s Challenger 75 and World Tour 250 both had one apiece.
The ITIA stated that “care should be taken in drawing any conclusions about prevailing corruption across the tennis ‘pyramid’ as there are many more matches at the bottom than at the top.”
Quarterly punishments
The ITIA sanctioned or suspended 10 individuals during the second quarter for violations surrounding sports betting. Venezuelan official Armando Belardi and Bolivian player Alejandro Mendoza Crespo were each given lifetime bans for 20 or more breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program.
Jasmina Tinjić received a six-year suspension after admitting to 23 breaches of the TACP, while Argentinian player Eduardo Agustín Torre was suspended for five years for 35 breaches of corruption.
Algerian Mohamed Ali Abibsi also received two years and six months of suspension and was fined $10,000 for failing to cooperate with an anti-corruption investigation.
The other punishments included several-month suspensions and two $10,000 fines. Just last month, Slovenian player David Gorsic admitted to betting on the sport.
Keeping the sport clean
The ITIA was established and is funded by the ATP, ITF, and WTA in 2021 to monitor and prevent tennis corruption worldwide.
The organization also receives funding to operate from Wimbledon, the French Open, the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open. The agency works with sports betting stakeholders and provides education on its rules to players, officials, and coaches.
