Karim Hossam (born November 11, 1994) is an Egyptian former professional tennis player. He is primarily known for receiving a lifetime ban from the sport in 2020 due to extensive match-fixing activities and a failure to cooperate with an anti-corruption investigation.
Career
Hossam turned professional in the early 2010s. During his career, he achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 337 on October 20, 2014. He competed mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures circuits. Despite his relatively modest ranking, he was considered one of Egypt's more prominent tennis talents during his active years.Match-fixing Scandal and Ban
In 2019, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), now known as the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), launched an investigation into Hossam's activities. The investigation found that Hossam had engaged in multiple match-fixing offenses spanning from 2013 to 2019. These offenses included contriving the outcome of matches, soliciting other players to fix matches, facilitating betting, and failing to report corrupt approaches. Crucially, he also failed to cooperate with the TIU's investigation.On January 20, 2020, Hossam was found guilty of 16 charges under the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). As a result, he was banned for life from participating in or attending any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis. He was also fined $15,000. This ban effectively ended his professional tennis career permanently.