The International Agency for Tennis Integrity (ITIA) confirmed that Dominican tennis player Maikel Villalona, 21, has been banned for four years and six months for several violations of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
Villalona, who does not appear in the world ranking, wasHe was accused on October 15 of committing five violations of the anti-corruption code, among them, manipulation of the result, receipt of money and failure to report a corrupt strategy, in relation to an ITF World Tennis Tour doubles match played in 2022. He was also charged with failing to cooperate with an ITIA investigation by ignoring five separate requests to be interviewed in early 2025.
By not responding to the accusations of the body in charge of prosecuting inappropriate behavior related to party corruption, Villalona “admitted his responsibility on all charges and accepted the sanction,” consisting of a suspension of four years and six months and a fine of 10 thousand dollars (about 8,500 euros).
Villalona decided not to appeal the punishment, which came into effect on October 30 and prohibits him from playing, training or attending any tennis event organized by ITIA members.
This independent body includes the professional men’s and women’s circuits, the ATP and the WTA, respectively, the International Tennis Federation and representatives of the Grand Slams, among others.
