TIU denies two requests to lift provisional suspensions

The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) has confirmed that two players have had their application to lift a temporary suspension denied.

Bulgarian tennis player Aleksandrina Naydenova and Spanish tennis player Enrique López Pérez had both applied to lift provisional suspensions originally imposed on 27 December 2019 and 19 December 2019 respectively.

Independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Prof Richard McLaren rejected both applications, meaning that both players will be prohibited from competing in or attending any sanctioned tennis event organised or recognised by the governing bodies of the sport.

Due to restrictions in place at the time of both provisional suspensions, the original decisions made by Prof McLaren were not publicly reported.

Both players were suspended following an investigation by the TIU into alleged breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).

Citing Section 3 of the TACP, an individual may face a provisional suspension if ‘there is a likelihood’ that the person has committed a corruption offence, the integrity of tennis is undermined or ‘the harm resulting from the absence of a Provisional Suspension outweighs the hardship of the Provisional Suspension on the Covered Person’.