Marko Ducman, a Slovenian tennis official, has received a ten-and-a-half-year suspension from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
Ducman admitted to four breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP), which included engaging in tennis match wagering as well as manipulating match data for betting purposes.
He has also been fined $75,000, with $56,250 suspended and – during the suspension – is prohibited from officiating at or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA: ATP, ITF, WTA, Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open, or any national association.
Ducman has officiated at ITF, ATP and WTA tournaments, and is both an international-level and bronze-badge official.
The ITIA stated: “The official has been provisionally suspended since 8 September 2023, and time served under provisional suspension will be credited against Ducman’s period of ineligibility. As such, their suspension will end on 7 March 2034.”
The body also emphasised that Ducman has cooperated with the investigation and accepted the imposed penalty, forgoing the option of a hearing before an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer.
Similarly, in May of this year, Heriberto Morales Churata – a Bolivian chair umpire – faced a six-year ban for manipulating scores at ITF World Tennis Tour events by incorrectly entering the digits into the handheld device in both 2021 and 2022.
