Enrique Lopez Perez gets lengthy ban after being involved in match-fixing activities in three separate instances in 2017; the Spanish player will not be able to attend or play in any sanctioned tennis event for the next eight years
Saturday 5 December 2020 16:25, UK
Spanish tennis player Enrique Lopez Perez has been banned from the sport for eight years for his involvement in match-fixing activities.
The 29-year-old, who reached a career-high singles ranking of 154 in 2018 and a best doubles ranking of 135 last year, was involved in match-fixing activities in three separate instances in 2017, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) has said.
"The disciplinary case was heard by anti-corruption hearing officer Richard McLaren on 5 November 2020," the TIU added in a statement.
"He found that Enrique Lopez Perez breached the rules of the Tennis Anti-corruption Programme three times at tournaments in 2017, with two further charges unproven."
Perez was provisionally suspended in December, 2019, and will not be able to attend or play in any sanctioned tennis event for the next eight years.
Also, Stanislav Poplavskyy has been given a lifetime ban for participating in match-fixing activities, tennis' anti-corruption body said on Friday.
The TIU stated that Poplavskyy took part in match-fixing and courtsiding activities on multiple occasions between 2015 and 2019.
Courtsiding involves transmission of live scoring data from a match to a third party for betting purposes and is prohibited.
Poplavskyy, who had a highest ATP ranking of 440, also facilitated courtsiding and failed to report multiple approaches asking him to contrive matches, the TIU said. The Ukrainian, who was also fined $10,000, accepted all charges against him.
After admitting two gambling-related charges, George Kennedy, an unranked British player, was given a seven-month ban, with three months suspended, and a fine.
Kennedy breached the rules by placing bets on tennis matches from accounts in his own name and also on behalf of another individual, the TIU said. He was fined $10,000, with $9,000 suspended for the period of the ban.
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