Second Swedish star banned from playing tennis over corruption

• Dragos Nicolae Madaras plays for lower tiers of tennis back home
• He is under a provisional ban following anti-corruption allegations
• Madaras has won 10 ITF titles this year

Dragos Nicolae Madaras, a Swedish tennis player in the sport’s lower tiers is under a provisional ban following anti-corruption allegations.

Ranked World No. 191, Madaras has won 10 ITF titles this year. His suspension according to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) traces back to August 17.

ITIA says that Madaras failed to comply with the organization’s demands warranting his provisional ban from playing tennis. ‘

The Swedish tennis star filed an appeal against the temporary suspension, but it was denied on September 22. The ban stays indefinitely until the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program thoroughly examines the charges.

“(ITIA) today confirms that Swedish tennis player Dragos Nicolae Madaras has been provisionally suspended from the sport, pending the full consideration of Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) charges,” the tennis integrity body said in a statement.

Dragos Nicolae Madaras. Photo/ATP Tour

ITIA divulged that Madaras failed to comply with demands spelt out by the organization as far as his anti-corruption claims go.

This left them with no choice other than banning him provisionally as a special anti-corruption tribunal within ITIA investigates the matter to a conclusion.

An independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Professor Richard McLaren heard the player’s appeal but dismissed it.

Madaras will have to wait until for the tribunal to complete their investigations and give a way forward. ITIA insists that its core mandate remains to safeguard the integrity of tennis.

“The ITIA is an independent body established by the Governing Bodies of Tennis to promote, encourage, enhance and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis worldwide,” the statement read.

Madaras is a Swedish professional tennis player born in Romania on September 12, 1997. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of 191 achieved on October 3, 2022, and a career-high ATP doubles ranking of 481 achieved on May 9, 2022

He started playing tennis at the age of 7 and moved to Sweden with his family when he was 11. He turned professional in 2016 and has since won several singles and doubles titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour. He has also represented Sweden in the Davis Cup.

He is known for his aggressive playing style and his strong serve. He is also a good all-court player and is able to adapt to different surfaces.

This comes after another Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer retired from tennis recently after a two-year doping ban.

Mikael Ymer. Photo/ATP Tour

Ymer declared his retirement from tennis after his efforts to appeal a doping ban instituted by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) hit a snag.

The 24-year-old tested positive for ADRV in a three out-of-competition in January 2022. He first contested the allegations and claimed that a neutral panel had exonerated him in June 2022.

However, the ITF appealed the ruling, and in July, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) imposed an 18-month sentence in addition to partially upholding the two-year ban.

He said in his retirement message that it was an amazing ride being a tennis player and wished his friends the best moving forward.