James Blake, The Miami Open Tournament Director, Was Fined For Betting Sponsorship Ties – News18

LONDON: Miami Open event director and former Top 10 participant James Blake was fined $56,250 for violating tennis’s guidelines about betting sponsorship, the International Tennis Integrity Agency introduced Wednesday.

The London-based ITIA mentioned the violation was unintentional and Blake “co-operated fully with the investigation and did not contest the charge.”

If Blake breaks the principles once more throughout an 18-month probationary interval that started on Feb. 9, the company mentioned, he can be topic to an 18-month suspension and a further fantastic of $131,250.

The sport bars folks from having industrial relationships with playing corporations. In 2022, U.S. Davis Cup workforce coaches Mardy Fish and Bob Bryan had been fined $10,000 apiece for selling a playing operator through social media.

“This case is more a matter of perception, rather than corruption,” ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse mentioned. “The rules apply to players, coaches, officials and accredited tournament staff — who all have the ability to influence results or have access to inside information.”

Blake has been the event director of the Miami Open since 2018. The occasion shall be held subsequent month.

He retired as a participant in 2013 after profitable 10 singles titles, attending to a profession-finest No. 4 within the ATP rankings and reaching the quarterfinals at three Grand Slam tournaments.

Blake, who attended Harvard earlier than turning professional in 1999, helped the United States beat Russia within the 2007 Davis Cup ultimate for the nation’s most up-to-date title in that workforce occasion.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)