A tennis player from Argentina has taken to social media to confirm his breaching of betting rules, keeping him out of action for two months.
Hernán Casanova, who is ranked 397 in the ATP rankings, was found in contravention of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
Lack of education around rules to blame, says Casanova
In addition to the ban, the ITIA confirmed Casanova would receive “a fine of $2,000 of which $1,500 is suspended. The sanction is effective from 4 February 2026, and will end on 3 April 2026.”
Taking to social media to explain his case, Casanova said: “I am going to be suspended for two months.” He added he “didn’t know the rules exactly”, leading him to bet “for fun” on two tennis tournaments in which he was not involved.
“These are going to be two difficult months. I want to share this so that the kids who are just starting out in professional tennis read and get well informed about the anti-corruption program, because the smallest mistake comes at a cost.”
Part of his punishment also encompassed his failure to report an individual who approached him to participate in a match-fixing event.
Match fixing remains a serious threat to tennis players
Casanova’s case underscores the persistent threat match-fixing poses to professional sport, particularly at lower-tier events where prize money is modest and players can be more vulnerable to outside pressure.
Around the same time of Casanova’s case coming to its conclusion, fellow Argentine Roman Burruchaga revealed he had been threatened with violence unless he deliberately lost a match, while Chile’s Gonzalo Izquierdo said he received messages from an alleged illegal betting ring shortly before taking the court in a Challenger-level event.
The incidents highlight how attempted manipulation often targets players competing outside the sport’s elite tier, where financial pressures can be acute. Tennis authorities have ramped up enforcement in recent years, issuing lengthy bans and heavy fines in more serious cases, including a 15-year suspension handed to Spain’s Aaron Cortes in 2024 for multiple corruption violations.
While Casanova’s sanction was relatively short, integrity officials say the broader pattern of threats and illicit approaches illustrates how gambling-related corruption continues to test the sport’s safeguards.
New ITIA program helps those involved in anti-corruption cases
In October 2025, the ITIA announced a new program to help athletes caught up in anti-corruption or anti-doping investigations.
Players notified of an adverse analytical finding under tennis anti-doping rules will be eligible for financial assistance to test supplements or medications at a WADA-accredited laboratory, or to investigate potential meat contamination.
Those under investigation for anti-corruption or anti-doping breaches can also access wellbeing support through Sporting Chance, a mental health charity for professional athletes.
In addition, Sport Resolutions has expanded its pro-bono legal support so players can receive free anti-doping advice from the point of a positive test, rather than only after formal charges are brought. The support package, which includes up to $5,000 for product testing, $5,000 for contamination investigations and six confidential counselling sessions, will be reviewed at the end of 2026.
ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse explained the reasoning behind the scheme: “Anyone who finds themselves part of either an anti-doping or anti-corruption investigation deserves the opportunity to defend or explain themselves, and we recognise the process can come at both a financial and emotional cost.”
Sportradar reports slight decline in match-fixing cases last year
Sportradar reported a 1% global decline in match-fixing cases in 2025, with 99.5% of the more than 1 million events it monitored across 70 sports deemed free from suspicion.
The rate improved to one suspicious match in every 709 events, compared with one in 608 in 2024. Still, Executive Vice President Andreas Krannich warned that match-fixing remains an evolving threat requiring continued investment in technology and education.
Soccer remained the most targeted sport, with 618 suspicious matches flagged, down from 730 a year earlier, while basketball, tennis, cricket and table tennis also recorded cases. Europe reported the highest number of alerts overall, though incidents declined year over year.
Sportradar said artificial intelligence played an expanding role in detection, with its monitoring system flagging 56% more suspicious matches than in 2024. The company supported 125 sporting sanctions during the year, pushing its lifetime total past 1,000 as authorities intensify efforts to combat corruption.
