Marinko Matosevic, once Australia's top-ranked tennis player, has been handed a four-year ban after being found guilty of multiple doping offences. An independent tribunal determined that the 40-year-old committed five anti-doping rule violations between 2018 and 2020, including blood doping, facilitating another player to blood dope, advising others on how to avoid positive tests, and the use and possession of the prohibited substance clenbuterol.
Matosevic, who reached a career-high world No 39 in 2013 before turning to coaching, denied all charges throughout the process. However, he admitted to blood doping in a social media post shortly before the hearing. He claimed he “stupidly” received a blood transfusion in Mexico in 2018, partly out of disgust at his actions, and retired soon after.
The former player was highly critical of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), branding its investigative practices “corrupt” in a statement released last month. He alleged that the ITIA took his phone number under threatening circumstances and built cases on assumptions from old photos and texts. The tribunal dismissed these allegations as without merit, stating the ITIA acted within the authority conferred by the Tennis Anti-Doping Protocol.
Tribunal chair Michael Heron KC noted that Matosevic's conduct in advising other players “went far beyond passive association” and constituted intentional participation in violations, striking at the integrity of the anti-doping framework. Since retiring, Matosevic has coached fellow Australians Chris O'Connell and Jordan Thompson.
