On March 17, 2012, former French Open champion Michaël Llodra was banned for life for match-fixing. But few people are aware of the fact that Llodra was also banned for life from tennis for betting on his own matches.
Llodra had been found guilty of attempted match-fixing and subsequently banned for life by the ATP Tour in July 2011.
Before his life-ending ban, Llodra had been a regular on the tennis court, playing 85 matches between 2010 and 2012.
Now that his career is over, it’s time for Llodra to process what happened and move on with his life. But the 35-year old hasn’t really processed it completely. Instead, he’s kept playing tennis as if nothing had ever happened.
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In August 2012, the French tennis federation confirmed that Llodra was still playing tennis. A former top-10 player, Llodra had reinvented himself as a high-profile coach and promoter, helping former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal find his form and win major titles in 2014.
But while Nadal flourished, Llodra’s star continued to fall. In October 2016, the ATP Tour announced that he had lost his last eleven matches, including in prestigious events like the French Open and Wimbledon. Since then, he’s been inactive on the court, but he refuses to stop coaching and developing young players.
Llodra’s Betting Accident
On July 14, 2011, during the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Paris, Llodra was found guilty of attempted match-fixing. He was banned for life by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Grand Slam Board.
According to court documents released after the verdict, Llodra had placed bets on his own matches, using his corporate credit card. He was found to have wagered €75,000 on his own tennis matches from May 2010 to July 2011. In total, he was implicated in seven attempted match-fixing schemes with five different bookmakers. He was also accused of trying to rig the French Open and Wimbledon through a network of intermediaries.
Life in Prison
Llodra and his lawyers immediately appealed the decision, but their efforts were in vain. On March 17, 2012, President of the French Tennis Federation Gilles Villeneuve upheld the ban and sentenced Llodra to five years in prison, with the possibility of parole after three years.
Llodra was immediately taken into custody. He spent his first night in prison in a cold cell, with no booking, and was denied access to a lawyer or a family member. He wouldn’t see sunlight for almost three years.
Now that he’s behind bars, the question is: will Llodra’s life change for the better? It would be easy for him to sink into a deep depression, but given his track record, it’s likely that he’ll try to go down in history as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. In fact, in January 2018, he was ranked No. 83 on the list of 100 Greatest Players of All Time.
Tennis Player Who Got Caught For Betting on His Own Match Gets Banned
Tennis is a game played on hard courts with small balls, but this doesn’t mean that winning a game is easy. Every shot requires skill, concentration, and most importantly, luck. Sometimes, the simplest shot can completely turn around the course of the game. In the above video, we see just such a shot.
On July 14, 2011, during the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Paris, Llodra was found guilty of attempted match-fixing. He was banned for life by the ATP Tour in July 2011, but few people are aware of the fact that Llodra was also banned for life from tennis for betting on his own matches.
Llodra had been found guilty of attempted match-fixing and subsequently banned for life by the ATP Tour in July 2011. But few people are aware of the fact that Llodra was also banned for life from tennis for betting on his own matches.
Before his life-ending ban, Llodra had been a regular on the tennis court, playing 85 matches between 2010 and 2012.
Now that his career is over, it’s time for Llodra to process what happened and move on with his life. But the 35-year old hasn’t really processed it completely. Instead, he’s kept playing tennis as if nothing had ever happened.
Sporting.ie scours the Internet for the best articles about sports. Stay informed of the latest news and follow the scores, stats and live updates.
In August 2012, the French tennis federation confirmed that Llodra was still playing tennis. A former top-10 player, Llodra had reinvented himself as a high-profile coach and promoter, helping former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal find his form and win major titles in 2014.
But while Nadal flourished, Llodra’s star continued to fall. In October 2016, the ATP Tour announced that he had lost his last eleven matches, including in prestigious events like the French Open and Wimbledon. Since then, he’s been inactive on the court, but he refuses to stop coaching and developing young players.
Llodra’s Betting Accident
On July 14, 2011, during the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Paris, Llodra was found guilty of attempted match-fixing. He was banned for life by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Grand Slam Board.
According to court documents released after the verdict, Llodra had placed bets on his own matches, using his corporate credit card. He was found to have wagered €75,000 on his own tennis matches from May 2010 to July 2011. In total, he was implicated in seven attempted match-fixing schemes with five different bookmakers. He was also accused of trying to rig the French Open and Wimbledon through a network of intermediaries.
Life in Prison
Llodra and his lawyers immediately appealed the decision, but their efforts were in vain. On March 17, 2012, President of the French Tennis Federation Gilles Villeneuve upheld the ban and sentenced Llodra to five years in prison, with the possibility of parole after three years.
Llodra was immediately taken into custody. He spent his first night in prison in a cold cell, with no booking, and was denied access to a lawyer or a family member. He wouldn’t see sunlight for almost three years.
Now that he’s behind bars, the question is: will Llodra’s life change for the better? It would be easy for him to sink into a deep depression, but given his track record, it’s likely that he’ll try to go down in history as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. In fact, in January 2018, he was ranked No. 83 on the list of 100 Greatest Players of All Time.