The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) has recently uncovered evidence of match-fixing involving professional tennis player Naydenova. Naydenova, who held a highest ITF singles ranking of 89 and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking of 218, was found guilty of participating in match-fixing activities multiple times between 2015 and 2019. Additionally, she failed to cooperate with the TIU investigation.
Anti-corruption hearing officer Richard McLaren presided over Naydenova’s disciplinary case and determined that she violated 13 provisions of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP). Out of these, 12 breaches were related to match-fixing, while the remaining breach referred to Naydenova’s failure to cooperate with the TIU’s investigation.
As a result, Naydenova has been permanently banned from participating in or attending any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by the sport’s governing bodies starting from Friday, November 20th. In addition to the ban, she has also been fined $150,000 (£112,294/€126,057).
The sections of the TACP that Naydenova violated were Section D.1.d, which prohibits any covered person from contriving or attempting to contrive the outcome or any other aspect of an event, and Section F.2.b/D.2.c, which mandates full cooperation with TIU investigations, including providing evidence at hearings upon request.
Earlier this month, two male Bulgarian players, Karen and Yuri Khachatryan, received lifetime and 10-year bans, respectively, from the TIU due to convictions related to corruption, betting, and match-fixing offenses. Furthermore, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) reported a 52% year-on-year increase in suspicious betting alerts during the third quarter, with football and tennis accounting for the majority of cases. Specifically, football and tennis combined for 66% of all recorded cases, generating 25 reports each during the period.
