Serbian player banned for life
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday rejected an appeal by Serbian tennis player David Savic and upheld the life ban for match-fixing imposed on him by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU).
Savic was banned by the TIU in 2010 and the CAS said it was proven he "had made invitations to another tennis player to fix the outcome of tennis matches."
"The CAS has confirmed the decision ... to rule that David Savic be permanently ineligible to participate in any event organised or sanctioned by any tennis governing body," the Swiss-based court said.
Savic, who never managed a place in the top 300 of the men's ATP rankings and spent all but his entire career on the Challenger circuit, argued he did not attempt to fix matches and was set up by another player.
But the CAS panel annulled a $100 000 fine the TIU also imposed on Savic because it was "inappropriate" on top of a life ban "which provides for the deterrence that corruption offences call for."
The TIU was created in 2008 to deal with corruption issues in the sport, and is backed by the International Tennis Federation and the men's and women's professional tours.
Savic is the second player to receive a life ban for match-fixing, following Austrian Daniel Koellerer, who received the same sanction last year.
