Spanish tennis pro Aaron Cortes will not play tennis professionally until the year 2039. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Aaron Cortes, a 29-year-old professional Spanish tennis player, will not have the option to compete again until he is 44 years of age. He has received a 15-year ban from the sport and will pay a $75,000 fine after being found guilty of 35 corruption charges.

bribed officials to secure wildcard entries to tournaments

According to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), Cortes supposedly accepted money to manipulate the outcome of matches, made bets on tennis, didn’t report approaches from corrupt people, and also bribed officials to secure wildcard entries to tournaments. This took place between 2016 and 2018.

Cortes, who the ITIA said cooperated fully with the investigation, reached a career high ranking of 955 in international tennis. He secured prize money of $21,854 during that time. He played his last match in a July 2023 doubles match with Claudio Fortuna in the Round of 16 of the ITF Spain F21 tournament, a faceoff that the duo lost two sets to one.

Cortes will not play another sanctioned Association of Tennis Professionals or International Tennis Federation game until 2039. He also can’t coach at or even attend any such game, including any sanctioned by the Women’s Tennis Association or any national association.