Former Australian tennis number one Marinko Matosevic has been handed a four-year ban for multiple doping offences, six weeks after branding the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) “corrupt”.
An independent tribunal found that Matosevic committed five anti-doping rule violations between 2018 and 2020, including use of a prohibited method through blood doping, facilitating another player to blood dope, providing advice on how to avoid positive tests, and use and possession of the prohibited substance clenbuterol. The 40-year-old denied all charges until admitting to blood doping in a social media post shortly before the hearing.
Matosevic, who reached a career-high world ranking of 39 in 2013 before retiring in 2018, was highly critical of the ITIA’s investigative practices. In a statement released last month, he described the process as “corrupt and unjust”, claiming the ITIA took his phone number under “threatening circumstances” and built cases from old photos and text messages. However, the tribunal dismissed his allegations as without merit, stating the ITIA acted within its authority.
Tribunal chair Michael Heron KC said Matosevic’s conduct “strikes at the integrity of the anti-doping framework”, particularly regarding his advice to other players, which went “far beyond passive association”. Since retiring, Matosevic has coached fellow Australians Chris O’Connell and Jordan Thompson.
