Serbian Savic loses CAS appeal against life ban

Sport's highest court of appeal on Thursday threw out a Serbian tennis player's appeal to have a lifetime ban for attempted match-fixing lifted.

The Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed the decision of the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) that David Savic be permanently ineligible to participate in any event organised or sanctioned by any tennis governing body.

However, CAS set aside the $100,000 fine which had been imposed on Savic, saying the "sanction of permanent ineligibility provides for the deterrence that corruption offences call for".

"CAS has confirmed the decision ... to rule that David Savic be permanently ineligible to participate in any event organised or sanctioned by any tennis governing body," said CAS in a statement.

"The CAS Panel rejected the player's arguments and concluded that the disputed facts had been proven not only by a preponderance of the evidence but indeed to the panel's comfortable satisfaction."

Savic was ranked 659th in the world when he was banned by the TIU last October for offences committed in 2010.

The case came about after the TIU received evidence that Savic "had made invitations to another tennis player to fix the outcome of matches," CAS said.

Savic is the second player to be banned for life after Austrian Daniel Koellerer was found guilty of a similar violation last May.

The TIU was set up in 2008 and is supported by the Grand Slam Committee, the International Tennis Federation , the ATP World Tour and the WTA.