By Tennis Now | @TennisNow | Monday, March 10, 2025
Image Credit: Corleve/Mark Peterson
A chair umpire has been caught red-handed manipulating match scores and faces serious repercussions.
Dominican chair umpire Juan Gabriel Castro has received a six-year suspension and a hefty fine of $6,000 due to 12 violations of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program, as revealed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) today.
Castro, who held a national-level position, chose not to respond to the charges laid out by the ITIA, which involved three particular matches in which he was accused of altering scoring data to manipulate outcomes and promote corrupt practices.
According to the 2025 Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP), individuals who fail to engage with the ITIA’s investigations can receive a ‘Deemed Sanction.’ These individuals are granted 10 business days to appeal such sanctions to an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer, but Castro opted not to file any appeal.
Any time spent under provisional suspension counts toward the overall ineligibility period. Since Castro has been provisionally suspended since November 7, 2024, his suspension will conclude on November 6, 2030.
Throughout the duration of his ineligibility, Castro is strictly forbidden from officiating or attending any tennis events that are authorized or sanctioned by ITIA members, including ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Fédération Française de Tennis, Wimbledon, and USTA, as well as any national associations.
