The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced today it has fined Mardy Fish and Bob Bryan $10,000 each for promoting a gambling operator via social media.
Fines and Provisional Four-Month Bans
US Davis Cup coaches Fish and Bryan were also subjected to four-month provisional bans which will be enforced in case there is a second breach during a four-month probationary period starting November 11.
Commenting for Associated Press, Fish explained that he and Bryant “did a DraftKings promo during the US Open” and that they were unaware it breached ITIA’s anti-corruption program, but as soon as they became aware that the promo violated the rules, Fish “deleted the posts and cooperated with the ITIA.”
Captain of the US Davis Cup team since 2019 Fish and Bryan, who served as an acting captain in the absence of Fish, breached the sport’s rules around relationships with betting operators, according to the information provided by ITIA.
According to the sport’s anti-corruption program, anyone who falls under its jurisdiction is prohibited from directly or indirectly facilitating, encouraging and/or promoting wagering on the sport. Fish and Bryan fall under the sport’s jurisdictions as they were accredited for the US team in 2022.
In its statement, ITIA also confirmed that Fish and Bryan cooperated fully with the investigation and immediately removed the problematic posts.
USTA behind Both Coaches
A spokesman for the US Tennis Association (USTA) said in an emailed statement that the association “is aware of the ITIA’s fines on Fish and Bryan, stating that both coaches have the association’s full support.
As was stated by the ITIA, neither was aware that their actions were in any way a violation of protocols and when they were made aware immediately and fully cooperated with the ITIA throughout the remainder of the process.
USTA spokesperson
The statement continued, outlining how much of their lives Fish and Bryan have given “to representing and supporting US tennis.” The spokesperson concluded that the USTA is thankful to the two coaches for their contributions.
This year, the US Davis Cup team reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, where it met Italy in Malaga, Spain, last week and lost the match 2-1 after both teams split the singles but the Italians won the doubles to progress to the semifinals for the first time in eight years.
Historically, the Americans hold the record for the most titles in the international team competition for men, 32, most recently in 2007.