The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) banned 27-year-old Argentine Leonardo Aboian from official competitions.
The severe suspension of six years and nine months, made official last Friday (27), came after the athlete confessed to his direct involvement in match-fixing and sports betting schemes on the professional circuit.
How the player acted in sports fraud
During investigations by the regulatory body, Aboian admitted guilt in 30 violations of the modality’s Anti-Corruption Program, crimes committed over seven years, between 2018 and 2025.
The agency confirmed the Argentine’s fraud in eight valid matches on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) circuits.
The athlete’s infractions included facilitating the parallel betting market through the prior arrangement of scores.
The tennis player received financial payments from recruiters to purposely act below his technical level and failed to report these criminal approaches to the authorities.
As a direct consequence, ITIA also imposed a heavy financial fine of US$40,000 (around R$205,000).
The impact of the lockdown on a tennis player’s career
While the sanction is in force, the Argentine will suffer total isolation from the sport.
He is strictly prohibited from playing, training or even attending as a spectator at any official tennis event around the world.
Former number 229 in the world in the doubles category, Aboian currently occupies 648th position in the ATP rankings.
Only in the 2025 season, the player managed to lift the trophy at the M15 tournament in Santiago, Chile, and reached the semifinal stage of the Challenger in Piracicaba, Brazil.
This case raises a warning about the vulnerability of smaller tournaments.
In them, lower prizes often make competitors easy targets for criminal betting groups.
