Chinese player banned for 12 years faces additional expulsion penalty, Pang Renlong’s unique tennis journey revealed

It was anticipated that after Pang Renlong’s 12-year ban by the International Tennis Integrity Agency for match-fixing in 22 games, the matter’s heat would subside slowly; unexpectedly, with his new harsher sanctions, the spotlight has intensified once more.

The reason Pang Renlong’s case caused such a huge public uproar, even surpassing the previous 9-month ban of Zheng Baoluo for match-fixing, is because this 25-year-old Chinese player manipulated or attempted to manipulate 22 matches within just five months from May to September 2024. After verifying these facts, the International Tennis Integrity Agency imposed a 12-year ban and a $110,000 fine, highlighting the gravity of the situation.

Following this incident, many people felt deeply saddened that Pang Renlong destroyed his future in such a manner.

Just when everyone thought there would be no further developments regarding Pang Renlong, his latest situation quickly emerged.

After the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s announcement about Pang Renlong, the Chinese Tennis Association promptly issued a statement affirming they would neither cover up nor protect him. This led some fans and netizens to openly suggest that further punishments might be on the way, and a 12-year ban might not be the final penalty.

As the matter continued to unfold publicly, these predictions proved accurate. According to media reports, Pang Renlong has been ordered to leave the Shandong team. This means the 25-year-old Chinese player essentially ended his tennis career prematurely due to his mistakes, wasting his prime years in the sport.

An insider familiar with Pang Renlong expressed surprise when discussing the case, saying it all came as a shock and that no one had expected him to be involved in a tennis corruption scandal.

Although 25-year-old Pang Renlong’s results in challenger tournaments were not particularly outstanding, his domestic performance was relatively notable. For example, in 2023, he won the men’s doubles title and was runner-up in singles at the China Tennis Tour’s Henan event.

According to this insider, his achievements and current world ranking of 1316 are sufficient to place him among the top 20 male players domestically, a level that requires over ten years of dedicated professional training to reach.

Because of this, when the news of his 12-year ban broke, it was met with immense shock. After so many years of hard work to reach this level, it is truly tragic that one mistake destroyed his future.

Furthermore, the insider felt even more surprised by Pang Renlong’s case because he is a highly goal-oriented individual, making it hard to believe he would risk everything for match-fixing.

The insider also revealed that unlike many Chinese players who only compete domestically, Pang Renlong self-funded trips to Serbia, Egypt, and Turkey for tournaments in 2023 and 2024.

At the time, many praised Pang Renlong’s ambition to accumulate enough points to break out of the domestic circuit and appear on bigger international stages. No one expected he would end up embroiled in a corruption scandal, wasting all his previous efforts and sacrifices.

Currently, many believe Pang Renlong’s wrongdoing may have been driven by financial motives. Players at his level, without opportunities to compete in tours or high-level challengers, earn very limited prize money even if performing well domestically. At lower-level challengers, not only is it hard to make money, but players might even lose money.

The insider emphasized that in 2023, Pang Renlong played six matches at the ITF Egypt M15 event, reaching the quarterfinals and earning only $438, which barely covered his travel and accommodation expenses.

Additionally, after the ban, it was revealed that Pang Renlong’s total career earnings before tax amounted to just $4,000. Considering reports that fixing a single match could earn 1,000 euros or fixing a set could bring $2,500, such temptations are somewhat understandable for low-ranked players struggling to survive.

Once all penalties against Pang Renlong are finalized, the insider reflected with regret that had he not made such a mistake, he could have become a tennis coach or joined a university sports system after retirement. Now, it’s uncertain if those paths remain open, making the cost feel even greater.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlit River’s Starry Sky)