ITIA sanctions German tennis player for associating with suspended individual
Twenty two-year-old Mina Hodzic given three-month suspension after practicing with former player involved in "one of the most significant infiltrations of tennis by organised crime"
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has handed a three-month suspension to German tennis player Mina Hodzic for a “prohibited association” breach of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP).
Hodzic, 22, was sanctioned after participating in a practice session with former tennis player Jordi Marse-Vidri at an event in Barcelona in October 2024.
Marse-Vidri is currently serving a 15-year suspension from the sport after being found guilty of match-fixing offences in 2022.
The Spaniard, who had a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking of 526th, was one of six players convicted of criminal charges relating to match-fixing alongside Marc Fornell Mestres, Carlos Ortega, Jaime Ortega, Marcos Torralbo and Pedro Bernabe Franco.
At the time, the ITIA described the incident as “one of the most significant infiltrations of tennis by organised crime that we have seen”.
In addition to the suspension, and a $15,000 (£11,600) fine, Marse-Vidri was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence.
His suspension banned him from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, International Tennis Federation (ITF), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Tennis Australia, Fédération Française de Tennis, Wimbledon and the United States Tennis Association (USTA)) or any national association.
The ITIA had previously warned Hodzic about receiving coaching from Marse-Vidri prior to her sanction.
In addition to the suspension, Hodzic has been given a suspended fine of $1,000, which she chose not to appeal to an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer.
Hodzic’s suspension is effective from 6 March and will run until 5 June 2025.
During that time, Hodzic is also prohibited from taking part in any event organised by an ITIA member or national association.
In February, the ITIA suspended unranked Thai tennis player Jatuporn Na Lamphun for three separate TACP breaches.
Within the same month, the body sanctioned six players for historical match-fixing offences related to a criminal case heard in 2023 involving a Belgian match-fixing crime syndicate.