Philippoussis fined, cops suspended ban for breaching betting rules
London: Tennis coach and former top-10 player Mark Philippoussis has been fined US$10,000 ($15,000) by the International Tennis Integrity Agency for breaching betting sponsorship rules.
The ITIA said Wednesday that the Victorian was also given a four-month suspended ban “after receiving payment for providing a voiceover to promotional content for a gaming operator.”
It said Philippoussis did not contest the charge and had fully cooperated with the investigation.
“As a sport, tennis has decided that accredited individuals should not have commercial relationships with betting companies,” ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said.
“Whilst this case is clearly not one of corruption, it is a rule that players, coaches, and others in the sport need to be aware of.”
Philippoussis was runner-up to Pat Rafter at the 1998 US Open and lost to Roger Federer in the 2003 Wimbledon final, the first of the Swiss maestro’s 20 major titles.
Mark Philippoussis watches Stefanos Tsitsipas in action at the Australian Open earlier this year.Credit: Getty Images
Twice a Davis Cup winner with Australia during the 1990s, Philippoussis was ranked eighth in the world in early 1999. He won 11 titles during his career but never advanced beyond the fourth round of either his home grand slam or the French Open.
After a brief comeback to the ATP Tour in 2015 — ending a nine-year break brought on by a long injury lay-off — the 46-year-old has worked with world No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas as a coach.
AP
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