The 29-year-old tennis player from Novak Djokovic’s country was banned for 24 years

Representative photo (AP) Stefan Miličević was banned from the sport until October 2050 after being accused of match-fixing and attempting to recruit players into an alleged corruption ring. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced the suspension on Thursday, along with a $70,000 fine.Milicevic hails from Serbia, a country with a rich tennis tradition that has produced several world-class players, most notably Novak Djokovic.The 29-year-old was accused of fixing six matches, five of which he played, and attempting to fix the results of a further six matches between 2022 and 2024.The ITIA also accused him of recruiting or attempting to recruit several professional players to a network allegedly involved in match-fixing during that period.Milicevic, who played primarily in lower-level tournaments, achieved a career-best singles ranking of 1,338 in 2014. According to ITIA, the alleged network led to other players fixing matches. However, the agency did not reveal specific matches or name other players suspected of involvement.ITIA said Milicevic was uncooperative with the investigation and did not respond to its findings, despite seven attempts to contact him. His lack of engagement was cited as a factor in determining the severity of the penalty.Under the terms of the ban, Milicevic is prohibited from competing, training or participating in tournaments organized or sanctioned by the ATP, WTA, Grand Slams, World Tennis or any national tennis association.The suspension will keep him out of the sport until he is 53.

Folliot also banned for 20 years

Milicevic’s sentence comes after French tennis player Quentin Folliot was banned for 20 years in December following an investigation that identified him as a central figure in an alleged match-fixing ring operating on behalf of a syndicate.Folliot, who hit a career-high 488 singles hits in 2022, denied the charges relating to 11 matches played between 2022 and 2024. However, following a hearing, 27 of the 30 charges against him were upheld, relating to 10 of those matches.