Tennis umpire gets 10-year ban after officiating at US and Qatar Opens despite being suspended over betting scandal

OH I SAY — A FORMER Wimbledon umpire has been banned from tennis for 10 years.
Croatian official Denis Pitner applied to work this year at SW19 this year despite being under suspension for breaking rules on betting.

But Pitner did officiate at last year’s US Open and the Qatar Open in January in breach of the original ban.

The whole saga is a massive embarrassment for the International Tennis Federation and the sport in general.

The ITF secretly suspended Pitner for a year last August after it was revealed he had frequently logged on to an account from which bets were made on matches.

But the Croat’s name did not enter go on to the banned list of officials until the day before the US Open started.

His application to work there had been submitted long before and he acted as a line judge for most of the tournament.

Pitner was found guilty by an ITF disciplinary panel of failing to tell the United States Tennis Association his credentials had been suspended.

Pitner’s ban in August 2015 for his betting offences did not become public knowledge until February because the ITF tried to keep his case and those of other officials quiet.

During that six-month period, he falsely told the Qatar Tennis Federation and the Lawn Tennis Association that he was eligible to officiate at the Qatar Open and this year’s Wimbledon.

For all these violations, for taking payment for his work in Qatar and for failing to report the breaches, Pitner will be banned from working at any Grand Slam events or tournaments sanctioned by the ATP, WTA and ITF until April 19 2026.