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Six more current or former tennis players linked to a match-fixing syndicate in Belgium have been given suspensions of varying lengths and fined.
It's the latest sad chapter in the sport.
30 players have so far been punished for their connections to the syndicate run by Grigor Sargsyan, who was previously given a five-year custodial sentence.
The player who received the longest ban in Friday's announcement, 34-year-old Agustin Moyano of Argentina, was suspended for 15 years and fined $10,000 after denying the charges and requesting a full hearing. Moyano was ranked a career best 1,343 in 2015.
The five other players admitted to rules breaches related to matches played in 2017-18: David Guez, Jerome Inzerillo, Romain Bauvy, Yannick Jankovits and François-Arthur Vibert. Their suspensions ranged from two years to five years, seven months. Guez, who is 42, reached the highest singles ranking of the group, reaching No. 116 in 2010. He accepted a ban of four years and a fine of $25,000, with $17,500 of that amount suspended. Guez hasn't played an official match since 2018. He made more than $800,000 in prize money, according to the ATP Tour website.
Betting on tennis is extremely popular worldwide, though the sport tends to play red-headed stepchild in the U.S..
The controversies aren't all about match fixing however.
Jannik Sinner's deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency to accept a three-month ban for positive doping tests has been criticized by Australian player Nick Kyrgios, with the Professional Tennis Players Association citing a "lack of transparency" in the system.
Nick Kyrgios says fairness in tennis "does not exist"
Sinner, the top-ranked men's player, said Saturday he accepted the ban, which means he won't miss any Grand Slam tournaments. The French Open, the season's next major, starts May 25; his ban ends May 4.
Kyrgios blasted the decision via Twitter, calling it a "sad day for tennis" and suggesting fairness in the sport "does not exist".
So wada come out and say it would be a 1-2 year ban. Obviously sinners team have done everything in their power to just go ahead and take a 3 month ban, no titles lost, no prize money lost. Guilty or not? Sad day for tennis. Fairness in tennis does not exist.
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) February 15, 2025
Blogger Dan Clark agreed wtih Kyrgios's sentiment.
"Yep. It is absurd, mate. There should be predetermined, set penalties. No negotiating. No exceptions. Same penalty whether you're no. 1 or no. 1000. Making a mockery of the sport and it's his hard-working, clean, opponents who pay the biggest price. Just ridiculous."
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