French tennis player gets 20-year ban for match-fixing

Quentin Folliot during a tennis match. Photo by Instagram/@quentinfolliot

The 26-year-old, who reached a career-high ATP ranking of 488 in 2022, is suspended until 2044.

The ban, which was effective from May 17, 2024, prohibits Folliot from competing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event sanctioned by ITIA members. This includes tournaments organized by the ATP, ITF, WTA and the four Grand Slams, as well as any national association. In addition to the suspension, Folliot has been fined $70,000 and ordered to repay over $44,000 in prize money, The New York Times reported.

Folliot was found guilty of 27 separate violations of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). The investigation revealed that he was a key link in a criminal network, with charges ranging from fixing the outcome of his own matches and accepting money to underperform, to bribing other players to fix matches and facilitating betting by providing inside information.

His punishment was increased by his failure to cooperate and attempts to obstruct the ITIA investigation, including destroying evidence. He becomes the sixth player sanctioned in this investigation, joining Jaimee Floyd Angele, Paul Valsecchi, Luc Fomba, Lucas Bouquet, and Enzo Rimoli.

This ruling is the latest in a series of harsh sanctions aimed at corruption in professional tennis. Previous high-profile cases include Austria's Daniel Koellerer, who was banned for life for match-fixing and bribery violations committed between 2009 and 2010. Egyptian brothers Karim and Youssef Hossam also received lifetime bans for fixing numerous matches ranging from the Futures level to higher tiers.

Spanish player Marc Fornell Mestres was banned for over 22 years and heavily fined for leading a match-fixing ring, while Thai player Jatuporn Na Lamphun was recently banned for life after being implicated in 22 separate incidents between 2023 and 2024.