Former Australian tennis No 1 Marinko Matosevic has been banned from the sport for four years after being found guilty of multiple doping offences. The 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, providing advice on evading positive tests, and using and possessing the prohibited substance clenbuterol.
Matosevic, who reached a career-high world ranking of No 39 in 2013, denied all charges until admitting to blood doping in a social media post shortly before the hearing. He claimed he received a blood transfusion in Mexico in 2018, which he described as a 'stupid' act that partly led to his retirement that year.
In a statement released last month, Matosevic was highly critical of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), accusing it of being 'corrupt and unjust'. He alleged that the agency took his phone number under threatening circumstances and built cases based on old photos and text messages. The tribunal dismissed these allegations as without merit, stating that the ITIA acted within its authority under the Tennis Anti-Doping Protocol.
Tribunal chair Michael Heron KC said Matosevic's actions 'went far beyond passive association and constitute intentional participation' in violation of anti-doping rules, adding that his conduct 'strikes at the integrity of the anti-doping framework'. Since retiring, Matosevic has coached fellow Australians Chris O'Connell and Jordan Thompson.
