Tennis Player Who Refused Investigators Access to Phone Gets Five-Year Match-Fixing Ban

Petru-Alexandru Luncanu is the latest tennis player to receive a substantial suspension from the sport over match-fixing offenses he committed from 2017 to 2021.

The Romania native has received a five-year ban and a $40,000 fine from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). This means he will be unable to play in, coach at, or attend any tennis events with the sanctioning or authorization from a tennis governing body until June 2028.

he didn’t allow the ITIA to analyze his phone

During the anti-corruption hearing, the ITIA upheld five of the seven match-fixing charges related to Luncanu “contriving the outcome or any other aspect of several matches, and directly or indirectly facilitating tennis wagering.” The 34-year-old was also found guilty of not cooperating with the integrity body’s investigation as he didn’t allow the ITIA to analyze his phone last year.

Match-fixing is a serious issue in the lower levels of professional tennis. Many players struggle to make ends meet and often are easy targets for people who look to fix matches. The Romanian player’s highest-ever world ranking was 304^th, which he reached in 2009.