Nicolas Kicker decided to withdraw from his quarter-final match against Gustavo Heide at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Florianopolis, Brazil when facing match point. Kicker had lost the first set 6-2 and was trailing 5-1 in the second set before choosing to quit.
At 33 years old, Kicker, a former world No.78, holds the unfortunate record of being the highest-ranked tennis professional to have been convicted of match-fixing, resulting in a six-year suspension in 2018. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) reduced the suspension to three years, with the condition of no further violations, after his involvement in fixing two Challenger tournament matches in 2015. Following an appeal and his assistance in the ITIA’s educational program, Kicker’s suspension was further shortened by four months.
Kicker collaborated with the ITIA to create an educational video detailing his engagement in corruption, aiming to caution other players about the repercussions. In the video, he expressed regret over jeopardizing his promising career due to a single mistake in 2015 that led to his suspension.
Acknowledging his error, Kicker admitted to relying on his parents for financial support in his tennis career. He recounted a distressing experience where an individual contacting him on Facebook offered financial backing, only to reveal themselves as part of a betting syndicate that demanded he manipulate a match.
Kicker described the act of intentionally losing a match as “horrible” and acknowledged that his reputation within the tennis community remains tarnished.