SYDNEY: Australia’s Nick Lindahl was Tuesday banned for seven years and fined US$35,000 for corruption with two others also sanctioned as tennis authorities step up their fight against match-fixing ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year.
Lindahl, who reached a career-high ranking of 187, was found guilty of contriving or attempting to contrive the outcome of an event and failing to cooperate with a Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) investigation.
The case related to his offer to throw a match at a Futures tournament in Australia in 2013 and a refusal to provide his mobile phone for forensic investigations on the TIU’s request.
“Although Mr. Lindahl, 28, retired from the sport in 2013, today’s decision prevents him from resuming playing professional tennis for the seven years of the ban,” the TIU said in a statement.
“He is also prohibited from attending any tournament or event organised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of the sport for that period.”
Lindahl was convicted in an Australian court last year for “using corrupt conduct information” and fined Aus$1,000 over the same incident.
Two other players, Brandon Walkin and Isaac Frost, were also disciplined after being found guilty of corruption at the same tournament.
Walkin, ranked 1,066, was slapped with a six-month suspension for passing a corrupt proposal to another party on behalf of Lindahl. His punishment was suspended for six months, meaning he is free to continue playing.
Frost, ranked 1,515, was found guilty of refusing to supply his phone for analysis. He has already served a one-month suspension, the TIU revealed, with no further action taken.
