February has pushed tennis into uneasy territory. The controversy unfolded at the ATP Challenger event in Rosario, Argentina, where Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo found himself at the center of something far more frightening than a tough opponent across the net.

The 26-year-old revealed that gamblers had threatened his life, warning him that his family would be kidnapped and he would be kil*ed if he didn’t deliberately lose one of his matches. At first, he thought it had to be some sick joke. But the tone quickly changed. Recalling the ordeal, Sanchez shared how it unfolded in an interview with Punto de Break.

“An hour and forty minutes before the match, at 3:18 p.m., I received a message asking me if I was Nikolas. It was from an unknown number. I said yes, and three minutes later, they wrote again,” he said.

“They told me they had located my family and wrote me their full names, both my parents’ and my brother’s. They wrote me the exact family address: street, building, floor, and door. They invited me to secretly lose the match I was going to play but warned me not to say anything, otherwise my family would be kidnapped, and I would suffer serious consequences,” he added, describing the chilling sequence of events.

Alarmed, Sanchez showed the texts to his coach, who immediately reported the situation to the proper authorities.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo was then taken to the players’ room and kept isolated for three hours. Sanchez admitted he even considered not playing at all. All he wanted was to get back home to his family in Spain. He tried to delay the match for as long as possible, but couldn’t get it postponed.

Despite everything, the world No. 275 eventually walked back onto the court because he couldn’t afford to lose the ranking points and prize money. The match was played behind closed doors under maximum security, and he went on to lose 7-5, 6-4.

Throughout the ordeal, he stayed in constant contact with his family, trying to make sure they were safe, but without showing how scared he truly was.

“I was contacting my family to make sure they were okay, but without conveying the fear I felt inside,” he explained.

With no experience handling such a situation, Sanchez and his team did what they could. He also praised the tournament director for providing maximum security, calling it a time of “anguish and great fear.”

Ultimately, he finished the match in tears, clearly shaken and unable to focus fully on his tennis. While he plans to change his phone number, he admitted he doesn’t have the financial means to move houses. Meanwhile, authorities continue working to identify whoever sent the threats.

Despite everything he had just endured, Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo made his way back to Argentina earlier this week to compete at the Challenger de Tigre II. But the emotional toll seemed to linger. On Centre Court, he fell in the Round of 16 to home favorite Facundo Díaz Acosta, going down 4-6, 2-6 in a match that marked another tough chapter in an already harrowing stretch.

Moreover, it’s important to note that Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo never entertained the idea of fixing the match, likely fully aware of the severe consequences that come with any form of match manipulation.

ATP slams down brutal ban in shocking match-fixing crackdown

Just two weeks ago, Argentine player Hernán Casanova, currently ranked No. 397 in the ATP standings, was handed a two-month suspension by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). The timing was striking, arriving less than a week after the final of the Challenger 125 event in Rosario, Argentina.

Casanova addressed his suspension publicly on Instagram.

“I’m going to be suspended for two months,” he wrote, explaining that he made “two mistakes” because he “didn’t know the rules exactly.”

The 32-year-old, whose career-high ranking was No. 221 back in 2022, admitted he placed bets “for fun” on matches at tournaments where he wasn’t competing between 2023 and 2025.

However, that still violated the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). In addition to the suspension, he was fined $500 and is barred from playing, training, or attending any tournaments until April 3.

But the ITIA’s recent actions didn’t stop there…

The agency also recently confirmed a far more severe sanction against fellow Argentine player Leonardo Aboian. He has been suspended for six years and nine months and fined $40,000, with $25,000 of that amount suspended.

Aboian admitted to committing 30 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program. He agreed to the sanction and gave up his right to a hearing before an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer. The 27-year-old had reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 229 in April 2025.

According to the findings, he fixed eight of his own singles and doubles matches at ITF World Tennis Tour and ATP Challenger events between 2018 and 2025. He admitted to facilitating wagering, manipulating match outcomes, receiving payment for not giving his best effort, and failing to report corrupt approaches. In the end, he accepted all the charges brought against him by the ITIA.

So, how should tennis authorities better protect players after the terrifying ordeal faced by Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo?