The French tennis federation (FFT) has withdrawn their wildcard invitation for Constant Lestienne in the wake of a Tennis integrity Unit investigation.
Lestienne, who is currently ranked 206th in the world, lost his place after an incident involving him during the 2015 French Open. The Frenchman played in the qualifying tournament where he lost in the first round to tenth seed Kimmer Coppejans. According to sources at Le Monde, Lestienne is guilty of betting on a match during the tournament. The value of the bet was 2,80 euros according to another report published by Courrier Picard. This claim has not been independently verified.
The severity of the incident is not considered a serious breach, however, the FFT has decided to withdraw their invite due to their ‘zero tolerance‘ policy. The Tennis Integrity Unit is currently investigating the matter and they are yet to make a decision in the case.
“Constant Lestienne is being investigated by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) for a proven breach of the rules of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).” The French federation said in a statement.
“According to information which the FFT has, it is a minor offense that does not prevent him from playing during the period of investigation of the TIU. “
The timing of the decision comes as Lestienne starts to make a breakthrough on the tour. The 23-year-old won his first Challenger title at the start of this month when he defeated Zdenek Kolar in the final of the Ostrava Open. He also won a Futures title in France earlier this year.
Tennis authorities have stepped up their action against corruption in the sport in the wake of a report into match fixing. An investigative report by the BBC and Buzzfeed News alleges that there has been numerous incidents of match fixing in recent years. The accusations have been swiftly denied by the governing bodies of the sport.
The wildcard would have allowed Lestienne to play in his first grand slam main draw.
