Six weeks after branding the Worldwide Tennis Integrity Company “corrupt”, one-time Australian No 1 Marinko Matosevic has been handed a four-year ban for a number of doping offences.
An unbiased tribunal decided that Matosevic dedicated 5 anti-doping rule violations between 2018 and 2020, together with use of a prohibited methodology via blood doping and facilitating one other participant to blood dope, offering recommendation to others on learn how to keep away from optimistic assessments, and use and possession of the prohibited substance clenbuterol.
Matosevic denied all expenses all through the method, till admitting to blood doping in a social media put up shortly earlier than the listening to was scheduled to happen.
The 40-year-old – who reached a career-high No 39 on this planet in 2013 earlier than turning to teaching – was extremely essential of the ITIA’s investigative practices.
He mentioned he was in Mexico when he “stupidly” acquired a blood transfusion in 2018, earlier than retiring shortly afterwards, partly, he mentioned, out of disgust at his actions.
“I’m penning this confession letter firstly to warn different athletes towards doing something that will hurt their well being and put their lives in danger, as a result of there’s a lengthy life after an athlete’s profession,” Matosevic said in a statement launched to Australian tennis web site The First Serve final month.
“Secondly, I’m penning this letter to let the tennis world understand how corrupt and unjust the ITIA course of is.
“They take your cellphone quantity below threatening circumstances and make authorized instances over pictures and textual content message assumptions which might be actually 5 years previous.
“The entire course of is corrupt and lacks credibility, as now we have seen over the previous couple of years!’’
The tribunal dismissed Matosevic’s allegations as with out advantage, and mentioned the ITIA “acted throughout the authority conferred” by the Tennis Anti-Doping Protocol (TADP).
On the fees regarding advising different gamers, unbiased tribunal chair Michael Heron KC mentioned Matosevic’s actions “went far past passive affiliation and represent intentional participation” in violation of the TADP, and that his “conduct strikes on the integrity of the anti-doping framework”.
Since retiring in 2018, Matosevic has coached fellow Australians Chris O’Connell and Jordan Thompson.
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