Serbian tennis player Stefan Milicevic faces a 24-year ban, effectively ending his professional career. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced the sanction on 15/10, meaning Milicevic will be 53 years old when he becomes eligible to return to play in 10/2050.

The ITIA stated that Milicevic was involved in six fixed matches, directly playing in five of them, and attempted to manipulate an additional six matches between 2022 and 2024. The 29-year-old also recruited or tried to entice professional colleagues into the network, resulting in other players fixing matches.

The investigation was conducted in 2026. The ITIA reported seven attempts to contact Milicevic through various channels, but he neither participated nor cooperated. On 24/9, the agency issued a severe breach notice, which also went unanswered. Consequently, the 24-year ban and 70,000 USD fine became effective on 9/10/2026, set to conclude on 8/10/2050.

Stefan Milicevic during a professional match. Photo: Cupure

During his suspension, Milicevic is prohibited from playing, coaching, or attending events organized or recognized by organizations within the sanction's scope, including: the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women's Tennis Association (WTA), Grand Slam tournaments, and national federations. The ITIA announcement did not specify individual manipulated matches, the identities of other players involved, or the amount of money Milicevic gained.

Milicevic was not a familiar face on the major tennis circuits; his highest ATP singles ranking was 1,338, achieved in 8/2014. However, the Belgrade-born player had notable years in the American collegiate tennis system.

University of Minnesota records show Milicevic won 81 and lost 39 singles matches over four seasons. He reached 33rd in the American collegiate men's singles rankings in autumn 2019 and was selected for the Big Ten First Team in 2020. As a student of supply chain and business administration, he also earned academic honors.

After finishing his collegiate career at Minnesota in the 2019-2020 season, Milicevic moved into coaching. DePaul University confirmed he joined their men's team as a graduate assistant starting in the 2021-2022 season. His university profile also noted he had won six Tennis Europe titles and one International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior title.

The sanction's impact extends beyond playing, as Milicevic had established a coaching career but is now prohibited from that role at events within the suspension's scope. The ITIA announcement did not link his work at DePaul with the match-fixing activities.

Milicevic's ban exceeds some recent ITIA cases involving player recruitment for match manipulation. In 12/2025, Quentin Folliot received a 20-year ban, a 70,000 USD fine, and was ordered to repay over 44,000 USD for 27 violations of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program. The ITIA identified Folliot as a key figure in a match-fixing network.

Also that month, China's Pang Renlong received a 12-year suspension for fixing or attempting to fix 22 matches within five months. He was fined 110,000 USD, with 70,000 USD suspended. No confirmed information links these two cases to Milicevic's network.

Vy Anh