ITIA hands Serbian player Stefan Milićević 24-year ban and $70,000 fine for match-fixing

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Friday that Serbian player Stefan Milićević has been banned from the sport for 24 years and fined $70,000 for multiple breaches of tennis anti-corruption rules.

Milićević is 29 and reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of 1,338 in August 2014. According to the ITIA, he was found guilty of fixing six matches between 2022 and 2024, five of which he played in himself. The agency also determined that he attempted to fix a further six matches during the same period.

The ITIA said Milićević recruited, or tried to recruit, several other professional players into a corrupt network. An unspecified number of those individuals were responsible for match-fixing. The agency's investigation ran through 2026, and its officials made seven separate attempts to reach Milićević through multiple channels. He did not respond or cooperate at any stage.

After the inquiry concluded, the ITIA issued a Notice of Major Offence on 24 September 2026. Milićević again failed to respond, so the agency applied its deemed-sanction procedure, which led to the ban and the financial penalty.

The ban took effect on 9 October 2026 and will run until 8 October 2050, when Milićević will be 53. During that time he may not play, coach or attend any events organised or sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation, the Women's Tennis Association, the Association of Tennis Professionals, the four Grand Slam tournaments or any national tennis associations.

The case is the latest in the ITIA's continuing action against match-fixing, where bans are frequently the sanction used. Last year the agency issued five bans or suspensions at once in a Belgian corruption case involving Yannick Thivant, Thomas Brechemier, Gabriel Petit, Thomas Setodji and Hugo Daubias. Thivant received a lifetime ban and a $75,000 fine.