ITIA Quarterly Update - Q1 2024

An introduction from Karen Moorhouse, CEO of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA)

The highest-profile development in the opening quarter of 2024 came in the outcome of the appeal of the Simona Halep case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland, which saw the first instance independent tribunal’s decision of a four-year suspension reduced to nine months.

Without having received the full decision and digesting its detail and findings, the ITIA is limited in what it can say on the matter – other than to reiterate that we respect the outcome, and believe that a player’s right to appeal is fundamental.

Clearly, this case has raised some fair and important questions about the anti-doping process, and we are committed to being as transparent as possible. It is important to us, and to our members, that tennis and its integrity programmes are trusted.

In all cases, the ITIA’s aim is to get a fair and right outcome, and to protect the vast majority of players, who are clean, and the sport.

All anti-doping matters are considered under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, which embeds the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC) into tennis’s rules.

The purpose of the WADC is the harmonisation of anti-doping rules across sports, meaning that all sports within the WADA system – that includes Olympic and Paralympic sports - must base their decisions on the same rule violations, with the same range of potential sanctions.

All anti-doping cases are heard, in the first instance, by an independent tribunal, appointed by an independent body called Sport Resolutions. The ITIA’s role is to present the case against the player based on the evidence available.

Both parties (in addition to WADA and the relevant individual’s national anti-doping organisation) have the opportunity to appeal the decision of the Sport Resolutions independent tribunal to the CAS, which makes the final and binding decision. Appeals before CAS are heard de novo, which means that the first-instance hearing is not considered during the CAS proceedings.

Of course, bringing a case to hearing, and subsequent decision, is the end of a time-consuming and resource-heavy process, which we recognise is stressful for individuals. Our preference remains to prevent issues from happening at source, which is why we continue to prioritise prevention and education, including working closer with our members to provide learning opportunities for players and their support staff – alongside maintaining a presence at all levels of the tour to provide advice and discuss relevant issues, much of which is covered in the next section of this update.

Our message to members of the tennis community is simple – we urge players, coaches, medical staff, agents, and anyone in a position of influence to approach us if they are ever unsure about any supplement, treatment, or medication.

Education and prevention update

The ITIA continues to embed engagement, education and prevention sessions into the tennis calendar, and the first quarter of 2024 presented opportunities to link up with numerous federations and professional bodies across the world.

Beginning the year in Australia to coincide with the Australian Open, the first quarter of 2024 has also seen ITIA colleagues deliver sessions and presentations at the Professional Tennis Registry Symposium in the USA, as well as at International Tennis Federation officiating schools in Thailand and Germany, the Tennis Europe Junior School meeting in Stockholm, and the World Anti-Doping Agency Global Education Conference in France.

Building on a proactive engagement platform of our regular round-table meetings with officials and briefing and education sessions at tournaments from Grand Slams through to $15Ks, the ITIA has also undertaken surveys of key stakeholders in the tennis ecosystem, including professional players and accredited officials, to gain further insight into key perspectives on the work of the ITIA, their views on the current integrity landscape in tennis, and any common themes or concerns.

Matthew Perry, Senior Manager for Education and Training, said: “We are always looking at ways we can evolve our support, resources, and engagement with the tour, and these surveys provide invaluable feedback and data to inform our practice.”

Jenni Kennedy, Senior Director for Investigations, added: “It is vital that we have a good understanding of how officials and players feel about the work that we do and feel comfortable discussing their concerns with us.

“We have made progress in building relationships in these areas, but it is important that we continue to do so, and ensure that individuals from across tennis consider us approachable and trust us to handle their information with care.”

Sanctions and Provisional Suspensions

Players and officials – TADP sanctions

Casey Kania – two years

Following the introduction of new information, the ITIA reached agreement with Jenson Brooksby to reduce their sanction to 13 months.

Upon appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Simona Halep’s sanction was reduced to nine months.

No Fault or Negligence was found in the TADP case of Marco Bortolotti.

Players and officials – TACP sanctions

Anis Ghorbel – three years

Maxence Broville – seven years

James Blake - $56,250 fine

Andrea Rita – 15 months

Marko Stojanovic – five years and six months

Dragos Nicolae Madaras – four years and six months

Patrick Madaras – two years and six months

Manuel Guion – five years and six months

Aaron Cortes – 15 years

Pavel Atanasov – lifetime

Antonio Casa – seven years and six months

Fernanda Brito – six months

Alessandro Carino – two months

Upon appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Sherazad Reix’s sanction was reduced to two years.

Abderahim Gharsallah’s appeal against a seven-year TACP sanction was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Provisional Suspensions

Damjan Dejanovic (TACP)

Arslanbek Aitkulov (TADP)

Match alerts

In the first quarter of 2024, the ITIA received a total of 25 match alerts through its confidential Memoranda of Understanding with the regulated betting industry.

A note about match alerts:

Every alert reported to the ITIA is recorded, assessed and followed up as an indicator that something inappropriate may have happened. It is important to note that an alert on its own is not evidence of match-fixing.

Unusual betting patterns can occur for many reasons other than match-fixing – for example incorrect odds-setting; well-informed betting; player fitness, fatigue or form; playing conditions and personal circumstances.

The number and distribution of alerts are reported quarterly. Care should be taken in drawing any conclusions about prevailing corruption across the tennis ‘pyramid’ as there are many more matches at the bottom than at the top. More complete analysis will be published in our annual report.

Where analysis of a match alert does suggest corrupt activity, the ITIA conducts a full, confidential investigation.

In addition, the ITIA considers intelligence from various sources, and encourages anyone with any concerns to contact the ITIA.

Tennis Anti-Doping Testing Programme – Q1 2024 testing figures

These figures outline the number of samples taken from players, not the number of tests (multiple samples e.g., urine and blood, can be taken from players when they are tested). All tests undertaken this quarter were with no notice.

The ITIA is responsible for the TADP across all professional tennis. Tests in Q1 of 2024 took place at events ranging from ITF $15K level to the Australian Open with in and/or out-of-competition testing undertaken in 47 different countries.

ABP = Athlete Biological Passport

DBS = Dry Blood Spot