LONDON -- Italian player Giorgio Galimberti was found guilty Monday of betting on tennis and was suspended for 100 days and fined $35,000.
The ATP said Galimberti bet on tennis during a period dating from June 2003 to January 2006, but did not specify if he bet on his own matches.
"Everyone connected to the ATP Tour has a duty to abide by the rules, especially those designed to protect and uphold the integrity of our sport, and the ATP will continue to instigate disciplinary proceedings against anyone found not to be doing so," said Gayle David Bradshaw, the ATP's executive vice president of Rules and Competition.
Galimberti is the fourth Italian player to be suspended for betting. Late last year, Potito Starace, Daniele Bracciali and Alessio Di Mauro were found guilty of gambling on matches involving other players.
The ATP launched its investigation into Galimberti in August 2007, and the findings were presented to independent anti-corruption hearing officer Peter Bratschi. The ATP said it received the information that triggered the investigation from a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the European Sports Security Association.
"The ATP's Tennis Anti Corruption Program is clear in regards to gambling on tennis matches by ATP players, player associates and staff," Bradshaw said in a statement. "It unambiguously states that gambling on any form of tennis matches will not be tolerated."
Tennis has been hounded by match-fixing rumors since online betting exchange Betfair, in an unprecedented move, voided bets on a match in Poland last year after fourth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko withdrew against 87th-ranked Martin Vassallo Arguello in the third set because of a foot injury.
In response to both the Davydenko match and other players speaking out about being approached by outsiders trying to influence a match, the ATP and other tennis governing bodies have been working together to keep the sport clean.
Earlier this month, French Open organizers filed suit in a bid to ban online gambling companies from offering bets on the Grand Slam tournament.
