Nicolas Kicker decided to withdraw from his quarter-final match against Gustavo Heide during an ATP Challenger Tour event in Florianopolis, Brazil, just as Heide was about to win. Kicker had lost the first set 6-2 and was behind 5-1 in the second set when he opted to quit.
At 33 years old, Kicker stopped the match while serving in the seventh game when Heide had the advantage. Instead of contesting the match point, Kicker chose to end the game by shaking hands with the chair umpire and his opponent.
Kicker, a former world No.78, holds the unfortunate record of being the highest-ranked tennis professional ever convicted of match-fixing, resulting in a six-year ban in 2018. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) reduced his suspension by three years, provided he did not commit further violations, after being involved in fixing two Challenger tournament matches in 2015.
Following an appeal, Kicker’s ban was shortened by four months as he assisted the ITIA with their educational initiatives. He contributed to an instructional video for the ITIA, detailing his involvement in corruption and cautioning other players about the consequences.
Reflecting on his actions, Kicker regretted his mistake in 2015, which led to the suspension and the downfall of his promising career in tennis. He admitted to depending on his parents financially and falling into a trap set by individuals on Facebook who pretended to support him but were actually part of a betting syndicate that asked him to throw a match.
Kicker described the experience of intentionally losing a match as “horrible” and acknowledged that his reputation in the tennis world remains tainted.