The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has banned
Tunisia’s Anis Ghorbel for three years and fined him $20,000 for breaching four
anti-corruption protocols.
Last year, the world of tennis was rocked by reports of
mega match-fixing scandals which included as many as 180 players.
In the latest development, Ghorbel became another player to
face punishment for breaching four codes of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program
(TACP). He was charged with fixing tennis matches in 2016 and 2017 and he
contested the charges.
To contest those charges, Ghorbel appeared in front of the Anti-Corruption
Officer (AHO) in December last year. However, that move went in vain as he has
now been banned for three years which means by the time he will be allowed to
play tennis again, he will be aged 37.
During his ban, the 34-year-old will not be allowed to participate in or attend a tennis event organised by an authorised member of the ITIA.
Previously in November 2023, former Mexican player Alberto
Rojas Maldonado was also banned from the sport and was fined $250,000 for breaching
more than 90 codes of the TACP.
Ghorbel never managed
to win a single match while playing on the ATP tour. However, he lifted one title
while playing on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) tour and his highest
ranking was 479.