Australian players Nick Lindahl, Brandon Walkin and Isaac Frost have been disciplined by the sport after being found guilty of tennis corruption offences from an ITF Futures tournament in Toowoomba in 2013.
The decisions follow investigations by the international Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) and disciplinary hearings held by independent anti-corruption hearing officer Richard H McLaren.
Lindahl, who reached a career-high singles ranking of 187, has been banned from all professional tennis for seven years and fined $US35,000 ($A47,580).
He was found guilty of charges of contriving or attempting to contrive the outcome of an event, and failing to co-operate with a TIU investigation.
The action from tennis authorities follows completion of criminal proceedings against Lindahl.
In April 2016, he was convicted of using corrupt conduct information and fined $A1000 in Sydney’s Burwood Local Court.
The TIU said Lindahl had proposed to lose a match in return for payment at the Toowoomba tournament in September 2013.
The next month he had refused to provide his mobile phone for forensic download, as required, the TIU said in a statement on Tuesday.
Although Lindahl, 28, retired from the sport in 2013, the TIU decision prevents him from resuming playing professional tennis for the seven years of the ban.
He is also prohibited from attending any tournament or event sanctioned by the governing bodies in that time.
Walkin and Frost were also found guilty of disciplinary offences by McLaren.
Walkin, 22, a singles player ranked 1066, was given a six months suspension after being found guilty of contriving or attempting to contrive the outcome of an event. The charge involved passing a corrupt proposal to another party on behalf of Lindahl.
Walkin’s sanction was suspended on the basis that he commit no further breaches in that time so he is free to compete in any professional tennis event.
Frost, 28, ranked 1515 in singles, was found to have failed to co-operate with the TIU by refusing a request to supply his phone for analysis.
He served a provisional suspension between October 2013 and September 2014 and McLaren concluded no additional suspension or any fine should be imposed and he is also free to compete in any professional event.
The Tennis Integrity Unit is an initiative of the Grand Slam Board, the International Tennis Federation, the ATP and the WTA, who are jointly committed to a zero tolerance approach to corruption in tennis.
Beni Iniesta
Guest
Actually, referring to this as 'elite sport' when we're talking about players ranked in the thousands who might win $1,000 for winning a tournament, exposes your complete lack of knowledge about tennis.
Republican
Guest
As if this is a revelation. What is bemusing is that punters in the full knowledge that elite sport is nothing more than a commercial illusion, continue to prosaically support events i.e. the Australian Open.