April 11, (THEWILL) – Spanish tennis player, Aaron Cortes, has been hit with a 15-year ban and a $75,000 fine for match-fixing and other offences, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has announced.
According to the Associated Press, the ITIA determined that Cortes was guilty of “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.”
The 29-year-old Cortes, who reached a career-high ranking of 955 in 2017, admitted to 35 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program from 2016 to 2018. In addition to the ban and fine, with $56,250 of the fine being suspended, Cortes is also prohibited from coaching or attending any events sanctioned by major tennis organisations.
Cortes, who has earned just $21,854 in his career, is set to be ineligible to play until March 27, 2039, when he will be 44 years old. The information comes from the ATP Tour’s official website, which has listed the player’s entire career achievements.
Cortes’ tennis playing days are as good as over. The severity of this ruling serves as a stark warning to athletes about the consequences of engaging in match-fixing and other corrupt activities within the sport of tennis.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
