French Linesman Suspended for Betting on Tennis

David Rocher wasn't just calling the lines, he was betting on them.Now, it will cost the French linesman a year-and-a-half of his career.More: Indian Wells Cancellation ComingRocher has been banned from officiating for 18 months—with four months suspended—after breaching betting rules of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP), the Tennis Integrity Unit announced.Rocher was charged with placing 11 bets on tennis between January and October 2019 and the added charge of not cooperating with the TIU investigation. He admitted the first charge and contested the second.

Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Ian Mill ruled that Rocher did not fully cooperate with the investigation and accordingly would be sanctioned for six months for the betting offenses and 18 months (with four suspended) for failure to fully cooperate.The bans will run concurrently. That means Rocher is banned from officiating or even attending any tennis event sanctioned by the game's governing bodies from December 6th, 2020 until February 6th, 2022. In addition, he was fined $5,000, with $4,000 suspended.This ruling comes weeks after a pair of Bulgarian players were banned for life for match-fixing offenses.Photo credit: Christopher Levy