Greek tennis player Alexandros Jakupovic has been banned for life after being found guilty of five corruption charges, the Tennis Integrity Unit said on Friday. The 34-year-old, who spent his career playing in the lower rungs of the professional game, was charged with various offences including "directly or indirectly contriving the outcome of an event".
The ban starts immediately. Jakupovic reached a career high ranking of 464 in 2009 and was a regular member of the Greek Davis Cup team, playing in 29 ties up to last year. His best result came in 2007 when he beat Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov, now ranked 36 in the world, in straight sets in the fifth rubber of a tie to give Greece victory. The Tennis Integrity Unit is an initiative of the Grand Slam Board, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the ATP and WTA Tours.