Poplavskyy, with a highest ATP ranking of 440, has accepted all charges, including courtsiding and failure to report match-fixing approaches. As of 1 December, Poplavskyy is barred from participating in or attending tennis events authorized or sanctioned by the sport’s governing bodies, and is also fined $10,000.
Kennedy’s wagering-related disciplinary case, ruled on by anti-corruption officer Jane Mulcahy, QC on 1 December 2020, found that he violated two sections of the Tennis Anti-corruption Programme (TACP). Kennedy placed bets on tennis matches using his own accounts and on behalf of someone else. Mulcahy ordered a ban of seven months, with three months suspended, for Kennedy’s actions and imposed a fine of $10,000, with $9,000 suspended for the duration of the ban.
Both Poplavskyy and Kennedy’s sanctions were issued based on their actions conflicting with section D.1.a and D.1.b of the TACP, which prohibit players from directly or indirectly wagering on tennis competitions or facilitating others to do so. The TIU has taken action against several tennis players this year for various betting and match-fixing offenses.
From 1 January 2021, the TIU will undergo transformation into an independent body called the International Tennis Integrity Agency.
Instances of tennis players receiving bans related to match-fixing include:
- Bulgarian players Karen and Yuri Khachatryan receiving lifetime and 10-year bans respectively for match-fixing offenses, soliciting other players not to give their best efforts, and failure to cooperate with the TIU’s investigation.
- Bulgarian player Aleksandrina Naydenova, a winner of 14 International Tennis Federation (ITF) titles, being issued a lifetime ban and a $150,000 fine for engaging in match-fixing activities multiple times between 2015 and 2019.
- Spanish player Enrique López Pérez receiving an eight-year ban and a $25,000 fine for involvement in three separate match-fixing events in 2017.
