Mark Philippoussis’ voiceover work will cost him.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) issued a sanction to Australian tennis coach Philippoussis for breaching tennis’ betting sponsorship rules.
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Philippoussis, a two-time Grand Slam singles finalist and current professional coach who has worked with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, has been fined $10,000 and issued with a suspended ban of four months after receiving payment for providing a voiceover to promotional content for a gaming operator.
The ITIA said “Philippoussis co-operated fully with the ITIA investigation and did not contest the charge.”
The suspension does not come into force unless there is a further breach of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) during a four-month period, which began on July 21, 2023.
As an accredited coach, Philippoussis is considered a “Covered Person”, meaning they are subject to the sport’s rules around relationships with betting operators.
Section D.1.b of the 2022 TACP rules states that:
“No Covered Person shall directly or indirectly, facilitate, encourage and/or promote Tennis Betting (‘Facilitation’).”
Some have questioned a double standard in that some networks, including Tennis Channel, actively promote odds before and sometimes during matches. So on the one hand some organizations can profit from promoting tennis betting yet a coach like Philippoussis is penalized for his voiceover promoting gambling.
The ITIA says the primary difference is Philippoussis as a “covered person” cannot have commercial relationships with betting brands.
Karen Moorhouse, ITIA CEO, said: “As a sport, tennis has decided that accredited individuals should not have commercial relationships with betting companies given their potential ability to influence matches, access to inside information, and therefore the perception of such relationships. Whilst this case is clearly not one of corruption, it is a rule that players, coaches, and others in the sport need to be aware of.
“Our message to players and others covered by the TACP is that you can always talk to us if you are unsure of any rules, or are seeking clarity on any potential commercial arrangement.
“Preventing a breach before it occurs is always our preferred course of action, and players or covered persons can contact us at any time via our app, our social media accounts, or the contact form on our website.”
Photo credit: Mark Philippoussis Instagram
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