Serbian tennis player Stefan Milićević got slammed with a 24-year ban from the game for allegedly fixing multiple matches and dragging other players into a “corrupt network.” The International Tennis Integrity Agency dropped the hammer on him, sidelining the 29-year-old until 2050. Seriously, until *2050*?
The Corrupt Network Exposed
This isn’t some minor league infraction we’re talking about here. The ITIA charged Milićević with fixing *six* matches, five of them his own, and trying to fix *another* six between 2022 and 2024. But the real gut-punch is that he wasn’t just doing it himself. He was allegedly recruiting “multiple professional players as part of a corrupt network” that resulted in a bunch of other players fixing matches during those same years. This guy was building an entire shady operation!
He never even cracked the top 1,300 in singles, mostly playing in lower-tier events. So you gotta wonder, how much damage did this guy do to the integrity of those smaller tournaments, where it feels like every win should count for everything?
No Cooperation, Just Consequences
And if that wasn’t enough, Milićević didn’t even bother to cooperate with the ITIA’s investigation. He straight up didn’t respond to their findings. That’s a huge sign, right? The agency hit him with a hefty $70,000 fine on top of the almost three-decade ban. What a mess.
They didn’t name any of the other players involved or specific matches beyond Milićević’s own, which leaves a ton of unanswered questions. You can’t help but wonder who else was pulled into this and if more shoes are gonna drop down the line.
This isn’t about one player’s career being torched. It’s a massive statement from the ITIA, sending a message loud and clear that match-fixing and trying to corrupt the game, especially at those often-overlooked lower levels, is not going to fly. You gotta hope this kind of decisive action helps clean things up and protects the integrity of tennis for everyone who plays it straight.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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