Three French tennis players arrested after match fixing investigations continue amid Quentin Folliot's 20-year suspension

After the news of French tennis player Quentin Folliot receiving a staggering 20-year suspension from the sport due to match fixing, another three French tennis players have also been arrested as tennis looks to clamp down on this.

According to RMC Sport, the three players have admitted to the charges after being questioned about them. It comes from a much broader investigation which has been going on for more than two years now. With match fixing rife in tennis, higher authorities are looking to banish it from the sport once and for all.

This major investigation looks to get to the bottom of these concerning cases. Already seven tennis players, including three French, have been charged for foxing matches for money. This Friday, it seems that three more players have been taken into custody as the investigation continues.

These players have been questioned by investigators from the criminal investigation department. According to information from RMC Sport, they have confessed to the charges being put against them. They will now await the chance to stand in front of a judge in a few weeks as they are set to be formally charged.

Match-fixing has been a huge problem for tennis, leaving a mark on the sport. A lot of it has been occurring lower down the pecking order in smaller tournaments as players look to make a living on the smaller tours, targeting progression up the ladder. It all began during the Rodez international tournament. In a suspicious turn of events, two French doubles players were acting strange on the court. Police looked into it and found some unusual bets placed onto the two competitors. This was the beginning of a larger investigation. In total, 45 matches have been noted along with a huge amount of money being won through this.

This has led to the ITIA making an example of what would happen if you fall afoul of the rules. French tennis player Folliot was at the brunt of this. After being provisionally suspended from the sport back in May 2024 due to an investigation, he was found to have fixed 11 tennis matches and commit 27 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program. The world number 488 was given a whopping 20 years suspension, fined $70,000 and forced to pay back $44,000 in bribes. It is an example to many other tennis players, including the three who have been recently arrested, that the punishments will be very harsh as they look to crack down on these cases once and for all.