A Spanish tennis player has been banned until 2039 for match-fixing.
Aaron Cortes has been suspended from competing for 15 years after he admitted to match-fixing, taking bribes, betting on tennis and giving money to officials to get a wild card, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said.
The 29-year-old, who reached a career-high world ranking of 955 in September 2017, admitted to 35 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP) that took place between 2016 and 2018.
Alongside his lengthy suspension which will see him out of tennis until 26 March 2039, he was fined $75,000 (£59,000), of which $56,250 (£44,000) was suspended, after an investigation by the ITIA and law enforcement.
Mr Cortes is also banned from attending, training, and coaching at tennis events authorised by ITIA members, including the ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, French Tennis Federation, Wimbledon and USTA, or any national association.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Tap here
The ITIA said Mr Cortes’ charges included “contriving the outcome of events, accepting money to contrive the outcome of events, failure to report corrupt approaches, wagering on tennis, and providing money to tournament officials in exchange for a wild card”.
Read more from Sky News:
Thousands of police drafted for Champions League games amid terror threat
Man’s best friend was once a fox, study suggests
Incredible footage of total solar eclipse from space
In a statement, the agency added: “Cortes co-operated fully with the ITIA investigation and accepted an agreed sanction, waiving their right to a hearing before an independent anti-corruption hearing officer.
“The player’s period of ineligibility began on 27 March 2024 and ends at midnight on 26 March 2039.”
