German tennis player banned for placing 280 bets

LONDON: German tennis player Luca Gelhardt was Friday banned for eight months and fined $7,000 after being found guilty of placing 280 bets on matches, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) said.

Gelhardt, 23 and ranked a lowly 1,065 in the world, placed the bets through three online gambling accounts between December 2012 and November 2015 although none of the wagers involved matches in which he played.

The TIA said that half of Gelhardt’s ban would be suspended and the fine halved to $3,500 provided he commits no further breaches of the sport’s anti-corruption programme.

“Assuming no further disciplinary violations are incurred, he will be eligible to compete again from December 16, 2018,” the TIU said in a statement.

According to the ATP, Gelhardt has made just $11,775 in prize money in his career and only $3,000 in 2018.