Swedish tennis player suspended over anti-corruption breach

Tennis News
Brandon Holt Max Wenders

Swedish tennis player Dragos Nicolae Madaras has been provisionally suspended from the sport for a breach of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed Madaras has been banned from playing in any tennis tournaments organised by the sport’s governing bodies since 17 August 2023.

They announced today that the Swede has been provisionally suspended from tennis pending the full consideration of TACP charges. Madaras appealed against the provisional suspension, but had his appeal dismissed by an independent anti-corruption hearing officer last week.

The suspension was brought about under the Section of the TACP that states: “The Covered Person has failed to comply with a Demand.”

Madaras is currently ranked 220th in the world, having reached a career-high spot of 191 in July this year. The 26-year-old has won an impressive 10 titles from 14 finals at ITF level this year, all of which came on clay courts. He holds a stellar 74-16 record at all professional levels in 2023.

The Romanian-born Swede has claimed 19 ITF titles in his career. Madaras appeared at the ATP 250 tournament in Bastad in July as a wildcard, losing in the first round to Luca van Assche.

The ITIA describe the purpose of the TACP on their website: “TACP is the sport’s anti-corruption code – a set of rules that everyone in tennis must follow.

“The rules are there to protect everyone in sport and outline how you must report any corrupt approach and list all offenses in the program including match-fixing, courtsiding and other corrupt activities.”

The full statement released by the ITIA on Madaras’ suspension reads as follows:

“The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) today confirms that Swedish tennis player Dragos Nicolae Madaras has been provisionally suspended from the sport, pending the full consideration of Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) charges.

“Since 17 August 2023, the player has been prohibited from competing in or attending any sanctioned tennis events organised by the governing bodies of the sport.

“The provisional suspension was imposed under Section F.3.b.i.1. of the TACP: F.3.b.i.1. The Covered Person has failed to comply with a Demand

“The player appealed against the imposition of the provisional suspension, but their appeal was dismissed by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Professor Richard McLaren on 22 September 2023.

“The ITIA is an independent body established by the Governing Bodies of Tennis to promote, encourage, enhance and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis worldwide.”

The ITIA was established in 2021 to promote, encourage, enhance and safeguard the integrity of tennis worldwide. It is funded by the sport’s seven major stakeholders – the International Tennis Federation, ATP, WTA, Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

READ MORE: French player banned for life on match-fixing charges

Dragos Nicolae Madaras

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