LONDON — A Croatian umpire who officiated at the U.S. Open while serving a 12-month suspension has been banned for 10 years, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Tuesday.
Denis Pitner was suspended by the ITF last August, but went on to work as a linesman at the U.S. Open in September, due to what The United States Tennis Association (USTA) said was a "flaw" in their system.
The ITF said in a statement that Pitner had now been banned until 2026 after being found guilty of offences, including his failure to notify the USTA that his certification had been suspended prior to the U.