The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has sanctioned Australian tennis coach Mark Philippoussis for breaching the sport’s betting sponsorship rules by creating content for an unspecified gaming operator.
The agency levied a $10,000 fine along with a four-month ban from doing promotional voiceovers.
The tennis body stated that Philippoussis—a former top-10 ATP singles player and current professional coach—‘cooperated fully’ with the investigation and did not contest the charge.
However, the suspension does not begin unless there is a further breach of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP) during the four-month period, which started on July 21, according to SBCNews.
“As a sport, tennis has decided that accredited individuals should not have commercial relationships with betting companies given their potential ability to influence matches, access to inside information, and therefore the perception of such relationships,” ITIA CEO, Karen Moorhouse said.
“While this case is clearly not one of corruption, it is a rule that players, coaches, and others in the sport need to be aware of,” she said. “Our message to players and others covered by the TACP is that you can always talk to us if you are unsure of any rules or are seeking clarity on any potential commercial arrangement.”
