Stefan Milicevic Handed 24-Year Ban for Match-Fixing

Serbian tennis player Stefan Milicevic has been banned from the sport for 24 years after the International Tennis Integrity Agency said he oversaw a “corrupt network” of match-fixing between 2022 and 2024.

Milicevic, 29, was found to have fixed six matches, including five in which he played, according to the ITIA. The agency also said he attempted to fix another six matches during the same period. The sanction means Milicevic will be excluded from sanctioned tennis until October 8, 2050.

The case is significant because the findings go beyond matches involving Milicevic himself. The ITIA said he was charged with recruiting, or attempting to recruit, multiple professional players as part of the network, with a number of other players subsequently fixing matches.

ITIA details six fixed matches and further attempts

The ITIA’s announcement set out a series of findings covering the period from 2022 to 2024. It said Milicevic fixed six matches in total, five of them contests in which he was a participant. It also recorded six further attempted fixes.

In addition to the match-related charges, the integrity body said Milicevic had been involved in recruiting or attempting to recruit professional players. The ITIA described those actions as part of a corrupt network and said the activity resulted in other players fixing matches.

Milicevic did not engage with or co-operate with the investigation, the ITIA said. Alongside the lengthy suspension, he was fined $70,000, listed as 62,400 euros.

The player’s highest ATP ranking was 1,338. The ITIA’s decision nevertheless applies across the sport’s sanctioned structure, making the restrictions broader than a ban from playing competitive matches alone.

Under the terms outlined by the agency, Milicevic cannot play in, coach at or attend events organised or sanctioned by World Tennis, the WTA, ATP, the Grand Slams or any national association while he is suspended.

That prohibition covers several roles within the organised game. It prevents him from returning as a competitor during the ban and also bars involvement at sanctioned events in a coaching or attendance capacity.

Ban runs until October 2050

The suspension is scheduled to end on October 8, 2050. From the announcement date, the 24-year penalty ranks as a long-term exclusion from the sport, tied to the ITIA’s findings over fixed matches, attempted fixes and recruitment activity.

The ruling places the focus on tennis integrity procedures and on the reach of sanctions for conduct found to involve multiple players. The ITIA’s statement linked Milicevic’s recruitment allegations to further match-fixing by other players, while specifying the six matches it said were fixed and the six it said were targeted in attempted fixes.

No further match-by-match details were included in the announcement. The confirmed outcome is that Milicevic has been fined $70,000 and barred from playing, coaching at or attending sanctioned tennis events until his suspension concludes in October 2050.