Spaniard is first player convicted of courtsiding betting offence

(Reuters) - Unranked Spaniard Gerard Platero Rodriguez has become the first tennis player convicted of 'courtsiding', which involves sending live scoring data from a match to a third party for betting purposes.

The Tennis Integrity Unit (ITU) said in a statement that Rodriguez, 25, had been suspended for four years and fined $15,000 for courtsiding, betting and non-cooperation offences.

Six months of the ban were suspended on condition of there being no further breaches of the tennis anti-corruption programme.

The ITU said the player had acted as a courtsider at an ITF M15 tournament held in Pittsburgh in July 2019.

"He is the first tennis player to be charged with and convicted of the practice," it said.

The Spaniard also placed 75 online bets on matches during June 2019, in a clear breach of rules banning any form of betting on tennis.

It said he had also failed to engage or cooperate with the investigation and disciplinary process.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Ken Ferris)