SERBIAN PLAYER STEFAN MILICEVIC BANNED FROM TENNIS FOR 24 YEARS

Stefan Milicevic, a Serbian tennis player, has been suspended from the sport for 24 years following a match-fixing investigation, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said. The ITIA found that Milicevic, who reached a career-high singles ranking of 1,338, fixed six matches, including five in which he competed, and attempted to fix a further six matches between 2022 and 2024. The agency also said he recruited or attempted to recruit other players into a corrupt network, resulting in some of those players fixing matches themselves. The ban took effect on 9 October 2026 and runs until 8 October 2050. Reports differ on the exact fine imposed, with one citing $70,000 (£53,000) and another citing £53,000 directly.

The ITIA said the severity of the sanction reflected Milicevic's lack of cooperation with the investigation, noting it made seven separate attempts through multiple channels to obtain a response from him before issuing a Notice of Major Offence on 24 September 2026. Milicevic played college tennis at the University of Minnesota and later coached at DePaul University in Chicago, and he reached a doubles final on the ITF World Tennis Tour in Osijek, Croatia, with Marino Jakic in August 2023. While suspended, he is barred from playing in, coaching at, or attending any event organised or sanctioned by the ATP, WTA, the Grand Slams, World Tennis or any national tennis association.

The punishment ranks among the harshest the ITIA has imposed outside a lifetime ban. It follows a separate case in which French player Quentin Folliot received a 20-year ban in December after the ITIA said he was a central figure in a match-fixing network, with 27 of 30 charges against him upheld at a hearing despite his denial. Milicevic will be 53 when his ban is due to expire in October 2050.