Italian tennis player Alessio di Mauro has been banned for nine months for betting on matches.
Tennis star banned for nine months after betting on matches.
The reputation of tennis has suffered yet another blow after Italian player Alessio di Mauro was banned for nine months for betting on matches.
An investigation which was launched in April this year has found that Di Mauro had been betting on matches between 2nd November 2006 to 12th June 2007.
The findings were presented to the independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer, Dr Peter Bratschi who ruled Di Mauro, 31, should be banned from November 12, 2007 to August 12, 2008 and also fined £30,000.
Gayle David Bradshaw, the ATP's administrator of rules and competition, said that the punishment underlined their stance on gambling.
"This ruling underlines the ATP's stated policy of not tolerating players, associates or staff gambling on tennis.
"The ATP requested that the maximum sentence be imposed and whilst we would have preferred a longer suspension, we recognise that the independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer has to administer sanctions related to the specifics of the case and not as a general prevention.
"This is the first player to be sanctioned under the programme and we found no evidence of any attempt by the player to bet on his own matches.
"We also found no evidence of any attempt to affect the outcome of any matches."
The news comes as tennis endures some troubled times, with suspicion surrounding a match involving Nioklay Davydenko that had some unusual betting patterns as the Russian pulled out through injury.
There is also the case of Germany's Tommy Haas, with claims he was poisoned before a Davis Cup match against Russia.
With Di Mauro being banned, tennis officials are keen to show they are trying to clean up the sport, but with so much adverse publicity they find their sport in troubled times.
