Obits in Brief: Mathieu Montcourt

Mathieu Montcourt, who died of a heart attack on 6 July at the age of 24, was a French tennis player who was serving a five-week ban for betting on the internet on other players' matches.

Born in Paris in March 1985, Montcourt turned professional in 2002, having come through the junior ranks with his friend and rival Rafael Nadal, who said this week that he was "in shock". Montcourt's highest world ranking was No 104, last month, though he had dropped to No 119 by the time of his death. He had no tournament wins to his name.

Montcourt complained during the recent French Open that his punishment was too harsh, saying that he never bet more than $3 at any time, and never on his own matches. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said he had wagered a total of $192 on 36 matches in 2005 and reduced his suspension on appeal from eight weeks to five.

Police said in a statement yesterday that there were no drugs in Montcourt's system when he died.