Frequently Asked Questions
A corrupt approach is a request to share inside information or to fix an aspect of a match or tournament. This may be incentivised by an offer of money, financial assistance to cover expenses or other benefits relating to a tennis tournament.
You must report it to the ITIA as soon as possible. If you have received a message to your social media or phone do not respond to it and take a screenshot to send to the ITIA. You must not delete the message as it is important to not destroy any evidence or other information related to any corruption offence. Failing to report a corrupt approach is an offence under the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
Inside information is any information not available to the public that could be used for betting purposes. Sharing inside information in return for any benefit is an offence under the TACP.
All players and 'covered persons' under the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) have the responsibility to be aware of and comply with the rules. Covered persons include: coaches, medical staff, agents, family members, business associates and any other person who receives accreditation at an event at your request.
You are not allowed to bet on tennis, at anytime, anywhere in the world, regardless of whether or not you are involved in the event.
Agreeing to fix any aspect of a match or tournament counts as match fixing. Fixing certain points is known as spot fixing and is an offence under the TACP.
You must report your suspicion to the ITIA as soon as possible. Any information of this nature should be reported to the ITIA even if you feel that you don't have evidence to prove it. Failing to report corrupt activity to the ITIA is an offence under the TACP rules.
Under no circumstances can you buy a wild card to enter a tournament. This is an offence under the TACP, and against the rules of the ITF, ATP, WTA and Grand Slams.
Any attempt to fix the outcome of a match is a corruption offence. It must be reported to the ITIA as soon as possible.
This might be a difficult situation for you but you must protect yourself and report this to the ITIA as soon as possible. Doing nothing in this scenario would be an offence as you must report any knowledge of corrupt activity. Reporting early is very important in this scenario and every effort should be made to do so before the match begins.
Officials are not allowed to bet on tennis, at anytime, anywhere in the world, regardless of whether or not you are involved in the event.
You must report any knowledge or suspicion of corruption to the ITIA as soon as possible. All reports to the ITIA are processed securely by trained investigators and investigations are kept confidential.
Courtsiders are individuals operating in view of the court while matches are in progress, illegally transmitting match data usually for betting purposes. It is the responsibility of the tournament to deal with courtsiders, not the supervisor or chair umpire.
You must report it to the ITIA as soon as possible. If you have received a message on your social media or phone do not respond to it and take a screenshot to send to the ITIA. You must not delete the message as it is important to not destroy any evidence or other information related to any corruption offence. Failing to report a corrupt approach is an offence under the TACP.
It is important that when a player reports something to you that you make a note of this including as much detail as possible and the time and date of your conversation with them. You and the player are then both required to report this matter to the ITIA and you should reinforce this to the player.
If you suspect that a player is fixing any aspect of a match you must report this to the ITIA as soon as possible and provide evidence where possible to support your suspicions.
Any information of this nature should be reported to the ITIA even if the player feels they don't have evidence to prove it. It is important to remind the player of their obligation to report such knowledge or suspicion to the ITIA as soon as possible and assure them the investigation process will remain confidential.
We all have a duty to keep corruption out of our sport and under the TACP all players and covered persons are required to report any knowledge or suspicion of corrupt activity.
To report corrupt activity or if you have any questions relating to this please contact the ITIA using the contact page of our website or app, alternatively you can email us at confidential@itia.tennis .
When reporting anything to the ITIA you should include as much factual information as possible. Any dates, times, locations, names, individual's appearances or behaviours as well as details or screenshots of any conversations that you are able to provide are all very important to our investigators when they process your report.
The ITIA respond to all reports and enquiries as soon as possible and you may be asked to provide further information.
For anyone covered by the TACP rules, failing to report corrupt activity to the ITIA is an offence and could result in a ban from tennis events and a fine.
If you fear for your own or someone else’s safety you should report the matter yourself to the police in the country you are in or travelling to. Remember to advise the ITIA if you have reported or intend to report the matter to the police.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) is a new, independent body responsible for safeguarding the integrity of professional tennis which subsumed the Tennis Integrity Unit on 1 January 2021. Its establishment was a key recommendation made by the 2018 Independent Review Panel which was set up by the governing bodies of tennis to review all aspects of the sport’s anti-corruption protocols, structures and resources.
A betting alert is a notification from a betting operator to the ITIA that unusual betting patterns are occurring during a certain tennis match. Unusual betting activity can be an indicator of corrupt activity or match fixing.
A provisional suspension temporarily prohibits a covered person from participation or involvement in any professional Tennis Event prior to the final decision on the offense with which they have been charged under the TACP.
A provisional suspension may be put in place by an Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer prior to the full charge being considered. The player is considered innocent until proven otherwise in full proceedings.
A Covered Person is someone who is subject to the rules of the TACP, due to their role within professional Tennis. This includes players, coaches, officials, agents and tournament staff.
The ITIA works closely and alongside Law Enforcement during any criminal investigations into match fixing in our sport. The ITIA may take action against players during or following completion of a criminal investigation when permitted to do so by law.
You cannot be sponsored by, promote or receive any benefits from a company that offers betting on tennis.
You will continue to be covered by the rules of the TACP until two years after the last Covered Event which you entered or participated in, unless you notify the appropriate Governing Body in writing that you have retired from professional tennis. If you become a coach or are associated with a tournament you may once again be covered by the TACP rules.
Once you have completed TIPP you will receive a completion certificate. You will receive a reminder one month before your course expiry date to complete TIPP again.
If you fear for your own or someone else’s safety you should report the matter yourself to the police in the country you are in or travelling to. Remember to advise the ITIA if you have reported or intend to report the matter to the police and the ITIA will be able to help you with appropriate actions to take.
You should not use a mobile phone or a device capable of transmitting data in view of the court to minimise any risks or raise any suspicions of livescore data being shared with 3rd parties for betting purposes.
No. You may only receive a wildcard if it has been awarded by the tournament organisers/National Association based on merit and is not linked in any way to either party receiving a benefit in return.
This might be a difficult situation for you but you must always compete with best efforts. Intentionally losing any aspect of a match would be considered match fixing and is against the TACP rules.
Even if you are competing in an event not sanctioned by a recognised tennis governing body you are still covered by the TACP rules and must not be sponsored by or receive an benefits from a company that offers betting on tennis.
As a coach, even if you don't currently work with players covered by the TACP, it is still important for you to be aware of the rules as you may become a Covered Person in the future and you have an important role in instilling the right values in players as they develop.
All players and 'covered persons' under the TACP have the responsibility to be aware of and comply with the rules. Coaches play a key role in helping to raise awareness and educating players about the rules.
As a Covered Person you cannot be sponsored by, promote or receive any benefits from a company that offers betting on tennis.
You will continue to be covered by the TACP rules until two years after the last Covered Event which you entered or participated in, unless you notify the appropriate Governing Body in writing that you have retired from professional tennis. As a coach, the TACP rules will apply to you if you receive an accreditation to a covered event or become registered member as part of the ATP/WTA coach programmes.
If a tournament organiser has asked you to complete TIPP then it is important that you do so prior to working at the Event. Many tournaments choose to mandate the completion of TIPP by staff members in player facing roles, in order to help protect their Event and staff from betting related corruption.
The TACP rules are largely applicable in the same way to all covered persons involved in professional tennis including tournament staff.
No, this could be considered inside information which is information that is not available to the public that could be used for betting purposes. Sharing inside information in return for any benefit is an offence under the TACP.
The non-credentials list refers to a database maintained by the ITIA of people who are under a suspension, a provisional suspension or for various other integrity-related reasons the International Governing Bodies may not grant them accreditation to tennis events.
The non-credentials list policy can be found here.
Tennis players, like all other people, may have illnesses or conditions that require them to take particular medications. If the medication a player is required to take contains a substance, or involves a method, that is on the Prohibited List, a TUE may be granted that enables that athlete to take the needed medication without committing an anti-doping rule violation under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP).
All players covered under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) are required to obtain a TUE, in order to use an otherwise-prohibited Substance or Method. Players are solely responsible for all substances that they ingest, including all medicines they take. Thus, it is crucial that all medication (and other products) are checked for prohibited substances.
The criteria are: The Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method in question is needed to treat an acute or chronic medical condition, such that the athlete would experience a significant health problem if the prohibited substance or method were to be withheld; The therapeutic use of the Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method is highly unlikely to produce any additional enhancement of performance beyond what might be anticipated by a return to the Player’s normal state of health following the treatment of the acute or chronic medical condition; the necessity for the Use of the Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method is not a consequence, wholly or in part, of the prior Use (without a TUE) of a substance or method which was prohibited at the time of such Use. There is no reasonable Therapeutic alternative to the use of the Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method. All four criteria must be met for a TUE to be granted.
All information contained in a TUE application will be kept strictly confidential. All members of the Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee (TUEC) are required to sign confidentiality agreements.
TUEs are effective from the date specified on the Certificate of Approval. Players should not assume that their application will be granted, even for the renewal of an existing TUE. Any player who uses a Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method prior to approval does so entirely at their own risk. All TUEs are granted for a specific period of time and so do expire. Before a TUE has expired, a new application must be submitted to permit continued use of the Prohibited Substance.
When the report is received from the laboratory, an initial review will take place to verify that the substance is that for which a valid TUE exists, and that the results of the analysis are consistent with the conditions of that TUE. If this is the case, then no further action will be taken.
Whenever you are asked to provide a sample – you must complete the test. Refusal to do so can result in a significant suspension from the sport, in the same way as any other Anti-Doping Rule Violation would.
You are solely responsible for all substances that you put inside your body and it is your responsibility to check the prohibited list to ensure you are not taking any prohibited substances through your diet or medications.
Chaperones will have a letter of authorisation from the responsible Anti-Doping Organtisation (ADO). Doping Control Officers will also have photo identification.
The ABP is a way to detect the use of prohibited substances and methods by monitoring an individual player’s blood and urine parameters. Multiple blood and urine samples are collected and analysed to establish a player’s normal values, and make up the player’s profile, or ‘passport’. The monitoring of a player’s profile will detect any changes to their blood or urine parameters over time.
Traditional samples are analysed in isolation, and a violation of the TADP occurs when a prohibited substance is present in a player’s blood or urine sample. Traditional samples directly detect the presence of prohibited substances and methods. However, ABP blood and urine samples allow the long-term monitoring of an athlete’s biological data in both blood and urine, which may indicate doping within a set of parameters.
Analysis of blood and urine parameters over multiple samples allows each player’s normal values to be established. These normal values are then monitored for changes which could be caused by: a) The use of a prohibited substance or method without detecting the substance itself. b) Intermittent use (including micro-dosing) of prohibited substances and methods. c) Use of substances for which a direct test is not available.
Yes, players have access to their ABP sample record on ADAMS at all times, should they want to view their personal data.
Each ABP sample is three millilitres (less than one teaspoon), which represents about one-thousandth or 0.1% of the total amount of blood in the body. (Traditional blood donation is 470ml). Normally, no more than 19 milliliters (four teaspoons) will be collected at once. The collection of more than one tube of blood occurs when the samples will also be used to test for multiple substances.
While the exact time depends on the person’s health, diet and exercise, it should be no more than 3 hours. Blood drawing results in no measurable effect on performance.
If the Doping Control Officer (DCO) is not able to collect blood after 3 unsuccessful attempts, the collection process will be terminated.
No. There may be occasions when collection of samples in close succession is necessary, such as when a change in a player’s normal values is detected.
Yes. For a traditional collection, a Doping Control Officer (DCO) will ask a player to sit for 10 minutes prior to providing any blood sample.
When providing ABP samples, a player must stop exercising 2 hours before their sample is collected. When completing the Doping Control Form, a player will be asked additional questions, including whether they have been exercising in the last two hours, and whether they have given blood or had a blood transfusion in the past week. This is important as these factors could influence a player’s blood parameters.
No. The ABP is an additional tool in the fight against doping, and is used alongside traditional blood and urine testing and analysis methods.
Yes. Since its official introduction in 2009 many athletes, across a variety of sports, have been sanctioned under the ABP.
Analysis takes place on an anonymous basis and computer modelling software automatically detects unusual blood and urine parameter values that are outside of a player’s normal range. The Athlete Passport Management Units (APMU), located at WADA-accredited laboratories, then makes a recommendation based on these values. If the use of prohibited substances or methods are suspected, data is provided to an independent review panel, consisting of three experts, along with the player’s explanation of those values. If the panel unanimously concludes that it is highly likely that the player used a prohibited substance or method, then the player will be charged.
Occasionally, bruising of the arm may develop. Bruises are usually harmless and will disappear with time and it is normal for them to spread out before fading. The risk of developing a bruise can be reduced by: compressing the point of needle insertion for 2 minutes immediately after the test; avoiding training for 2-3 hours following the test; not taking anti-inflammatory medications such as Aspirin and Ibuprofen on the day of the test.
The supplement industry is largely unregulated, and so there is no guarantee that the ingredients list on any supplement is accurate. Some supplements contain ingredients that are not listed on the label, or in different amounts than stated on the label. Many athletes have produced positive doping tests as a result of ingesting supplements, including in tennis.
There is always a risk with supplement use. Athletes choosing to take supplements are advised to thoroughly research the product, look into certification through a recommended batch testing company and consult a professional dietician to assess their nutritional requirement for supplement use.
Supplements that make bold claims to improve performance quickly, increase your energy, strength or muscle could contain harmful or prohibited substances.
Before taking any new medications you should check all substances against the prohibited list. You should make your physician aware of your Anti-Doping responsibilities before taking any new medications. Many common use over the counter medications can also contain prohibited substances, so must also be treated with caution.
In the first instance you should discuss your Anti-Doping responsibilities with your physician, who may be able to recommend alternative treatment. If the treatment is required then you may be able to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).
Yes, active ingredients can change over time and in some countries the same brands may have different ingredients.
After checking the prohibited list, you can also complete a Product Information Request on the ITIA app.
