Serbia Savic banned for life for match-fixing

LONDON | Sat Oct 1, 2011 12:35pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Low-ranked Serbian David Savic has been banned for life for match-fixing offences, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) said Saturday.

Savic, ranked 659 in the ATP standings, was also fined $100,000 after being found guilty of three violations under the Uniform Tennis Anti-Corruption Program including "contriving or attempting to contrive the outcome of an event."

In a statement the TIU said the Savic, 26, had committed the offences in October last year and had been found guilty at an independent anti-corruption disciplinary hearing in London this month.

"The life ban applies with immediate effect and means that Mr Savic is not eligible to participate in any tournament or competition organized or sanctioned by the governing bodies of professional tennis from the date of this statement," the TIU said.

Savic is the second player to be banned for life after Austrian player Daniel Koellerer was found guilty of a similar violation in May.

The TIU was set up in 2008 and is supported by the Grand Slam Committee, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the ATP World Tour and the WTA.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by John Mehaffey)

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