Stefan Milicevic Banned for 24 Years Over Match-Fixing Scandal
Stefan Milicevic Receives 24-Year Ban for Fixing Six Matches
Stefan Milicevic, a Serbian tennis player, has been banned from professional tennis for 24 years and fined £52,808 ($70,000) by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). The ban follows findings that he fixed six matches and recruited other players into a corrupt network.
Investigations revealed that between 2022 and 2024, Milicevic attempted to fix another six matches. His efforts to bring others into this scheme led to several additional players engaging in match-fixing. Despite multiple attempts by the ITIA to communicate with him, including seven separate contacts and a formal notice of major offense issued on September 24, Milicevic did not respond or cooperate with the investigation.
Details of the Sanction
Milicevic's suspension prohibits him from playing, coaching, or attending any events organized or sanctioned by World Tennis, WTA, ATP, Grand Slams, or any national tennis associations until October 8, 2050. The ITIA stated that the length of the ban was due to the seriousness of his offenses and his role in recruiting others, rather than his lack of cooperation.
Milicevic reached a career-high singles ranking of 1338 in August 2014 as a teenager. He earned less than £4,000 in career prize money and has now been fined over £50,000. Between 2022 and 2024, he played 11 professional matches on the ITF Tour. Beyond playing, Milicevic was a student-athlete at the University of Minnesota and later worked as a coach at DePaul University in Chicago.
Related Investigation: Marino Jakic
Marino Jakic, who partnered with Milicevic at an ITF World Tennis Tour event in Osijek, Croatia, in August 2023, has been provisionally suspended since June 24 while under investigation for possible anti-corruption violations. Jakic appealed the suspension in July, but an independent anti-corruption hearing officer upheld it in August based on substantial evidence.
Context Within Tennis Corruption Cases
Milicevic's 24-year ban surpasses the 20-year suspension handed to Quentin Folliot last December. Folliot was identified by the ITIA as a key figure in a match-fixing syndicate, with 27 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program between 2022 and 2024. He denied all 30 charges against him. The hearing officer described Folliot as a central recruiter, embedding corruption deeper within professional tennis tours.
