The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Friday that Serbian tennis player Stefan Milićević has received a 24-year ban and a $70,000 fine due to several breaches of anti-corruption rules within the sport.
The 29-year-old Milićević, who achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of 1,338 in August 2014, was found guilty of fixing six matches from 2022 to 2024, competing directly in five of them. Additionally, he attempted to fix another six matches during that same time frame.
The investigation revealed that Milićević had also been involved in recruiting other professional players into a corrupt network linked to match-fixing. Despite the ITIA's efforts, including seven attempts to contact him through various methods over the course of the extensive investigation, Milićević did not respond or cooperate at any point.
After concluding its investigation, the ITIA issued a Notice of Major Offence on 24 September 2026, to which Milićević again failed to reply. This led to the implementation of a deemed-sanction procedure, resulting in the 24-year ban along with the financial penalty.
Effective from 9 October 2026, this ban will last until 8 October 2050, by which time Milićević will be 53. During this period, he is barred from participating in, coaching, or even attending any tennis events organized or sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the Grand Slam tournaments, or any national tennis associations.
The ITIA's ongoing efforts to combat match-fixing have seen a series of sanctions imposed on players. For instance, last year, the agency announced five bans or suspensions related to a Belgian corruption case. Notably, Yannick Thivant received a lifetime ban, accompanied by a $75,000 fine, among others affected by those sanctions.
