Stefan Milicevic banned for 24 years after tennis match-fixing investigation

Serbian tennis player Stefan Milicevic has been suspended for 24 years and fined $70,000 following a match-fixing investigation, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced on Thursday. The sanction took effect on 9 October 2026 and runs until 8 October 2050, excluding the 29-year-old from sanctioned tennis events for more than two decades.

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The ITIA said Milicevic was charged with fixing six matches, five of which he played in, and trying to fix another six between 2022 and 2024. The case also involved charges of recruiting, or attempting to recruit, other professional players into a corrupt network during that period. According to the agency, those activities resulted in other players fixing matches.

Investigators conducted their inquiry in 2026 but received no engagement or co-operation from Milicevic. The ITIA said it made seven attempts to contact him through different channels. After completing its investigation, it issued a Notice of Major Offense on 24 September. Milicevic did not respond, and the agency said the suspension and fine subsequently took effect under its rules and sanctioning guidelines.

BBC Sport reported that his failure to co-operate contributed to the severity of the punishment, which it described as among the toughest imposed in tennis outside a lifetime ban. Milicevic competed at the lower levels of the professional game and reached a best world ranking of 1,338 in 2014. He will be 53 by the time the suspension expires.

The restrictions extend beyond entering tournaments as a player. Throughout the suspension, Milicevic is also prohibited from coaching at or attending events organised or sanctioned by World Tennis, the ATP, the WTA, the Grand Slams or any national association. The ban therefore covers several forms of involvement in the sport, not simply competitive appearances.

BBC Sport also highlighted the earlier case of French player Quentin Folliot, who received a 20-year ban in December after an ITIA investigation into a match-fixing network. Folliot denied charges involving 11 matches played between 2022 and 2024, including eight in which he competed. Following a hearing, 27 of the 30 charges were upheld, covering 10 of those matches.