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AMERICANALMANAC (Ken Jacobs) - Tennis integrity officials probe DraftKings-sponsored party attended by Sabalenka, Gauff, and other U.S. Open stars Fri Sep 4 18:46:45 2026

The International Tennis Integrity Agency is reviewing a pre-U.S. Open party sponsored by DraftKings that drew some of the sport's biggest names, raising questions about whether the players ran afoul of anti-corruption rules by simply showing up. The party took place August 27 at the Crane Club in New York City, four days before the […] The post Tennis integrity officials probe DraftKings-sponsored party attended by Sabalenka, Gauff, and other U.S. Open stars appeared first on American Almanac .

The International Tennis Integrity Agency is reviewing a pre-U.S. Open party sponsored by DraftKings that drew some of the sport's biggest names, raising questions about whether the players ran afoul of anti-corruption rules by simply showing up. The party took place August 27 at the Crane Club in New York City, four days before the start of the U.S. Open. Miami restaurateur and club owner Dave Grutman hosted the event, which DraftKings, one of the country's largest sports-betting operators, sponsored. Grutman posted an Instagram carousel showing players posing with him in front of a DraftKings-branded backdrop, captioning it: "Hosting @draftkings Welcome Players Party is my Favorite!!!" Among those pictured or identified as attendees: Aryna Sabalenka, Serena Williams, Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz, Matteo Berrettini, Eva Lys, Mira Andreeva, Alexandra Eala, Anna Kalinskaya, and ESPN commentator Caroline Wozniacki. The guest list, in other words, read like a seeding chart. An ITIA spokesperson confirmed the agency's interest. The New York Post reported the spokesperson's statement: "We are aware of this event, and we are looking into the circumstances and details." Tennis insider Ben Rothenberg first flagged the potential conflict. He reported that while the players were not paid to appear, their presence at a gambling-company event could still violate the sport's anti-corruption framework, specifically two provisions that cast a wide net over player conduct. Two rules put players in a tight spot Rule D.1.b of the Tennis Anti-Corruption rules, the code that governs player conduct around betting, states plainly: "No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, facilitate, encourage and/or promote Tennis Betting." Rule D.1.q goes further, barring any Covered Person from endorsing or being "sponsored and/or otherwise engaged by a Tennis Betting Operator." DraftKings is a tennis betting operator. Its logo was on the backdrop. The players stood in front of it and smiled for cameras. Grutman lists DraftKings among his partners on his personal website. Whether posing at a party crosses the line from socializing into "promoting" or being "engaged by" a betting operator is the question the ITIA now faces. The rules do not appear to require that players receive payment. The text says "directly or indirectly." At least one attendee pushed back on the idea she knew what she was walking into. Kalinskaya told Rothenberg she "went to catch up with my friends" and did not know the party was sponsored by DraftKings. Whether other players shared that ignorance is unclear, none of the others have commented publicly. Former players already paid five-figure fines for gambling ties The ITIA has enforced these rules before. Rothenberg reported that former players James Blake, Mardy Fish, and Bob Bryan each received five-figure fines for paid promotions for gambling companies. Those cases involved compensation. The current situation is different: the players apparently were not paid to attend. That distinction could matter. Rothenberg suggested the most likely outcome for the current crop of players might be a private warning rather than a public sanction. But the precedent exists, and the rules do not limit their scope to paid arrangements. The gap between the Blake-Fish-Bryan cases and this one highlights a broader ambiguity in the anti-corruption framework. If a player poses in front of a DraftKings logo at a party and that image circulates on social media to millions of followers, the promotional effect is the same whether or not a check changed hands. The rules seem written to cover exactly that scenario. Whether the ITIA will read them that way is another matter. Grutman's hospitality empire blurs the line between tennis and business Grutman is not a marginal figure in the tennis world. He runs Groot Hospitality, a portfolio that includes Miami hotspots Gekko, Casadonna, Komodo, and LIV nightclub. His empire also includes Prince, the tennis lifestyle brand. Rothenberg described him as a self-described "obsessed" tennis fan with close ties to major players, "often hooking them up with perks when in Miami and beyond." That relationship creates a gray zone. Players attend Grutman's events as friends and social guests. Grutman's business partners include a sports-betting company. When those two circles overlap at a branded party with a photo wall, the players become, intentionally or not, part of the marketing. Several open questions remain. The ITIA has not said whether it has formally opened an investigation or is still in a preliminary review. The definition of "Covered Person" under the anti-corruption rules, and whether it extends to retired players or broadcast commentators like Wozniacki, is not spelled out in the available reporting. And no one has explained who flagged the event to the ITIA in the first place or through what mechanism. What is clear is that a roomful of active, high-profile tennis players posed for photos at a party branded by one of the world's biggest sports-betting companies, days before competing in a Grand Slam tournament where DraftKings and its competitors take millions of dollars in wagers on those same players' matches. The integrity rules exist for a reason. If they mean anything, they have to mean something even when the party is fun and nobody got a check. The post Tennis integrity officials probe DraftKings-sponsored party attended by Sabalenka, Gauff, and other U.S. Open stars appeared first on American Almanac .