Tennis Coach Matosevic Banned 4 Years for Doping Violations

An independent tribunal has imposed a four-year ban on Australian tennis coach and former professional player Marinko Matosevic for multiple anti-doping violations committed between 2018 and 2020. The decision, announced by the International Tennis Integrity Agency on March 16, 2026, stems from offenses including blood doping, facilitating doping by another player, advising others on evading detection, and possessing the prohibited substance clenbuterol.

Matosevic, who reached a career-high ranking of world No. 39 in 2013, underwent a blood transfusion in Morelos, Mexico, in February 2018 while still an active competitor. The tribunal found that he also assisted at least one other player in similar blood doping activities and shared strategies to avoid positive tests. Additionally, he used and possessed clenbuterol, though a related charge from before 2020 was dismissed for insufficient evidence. As part of the penalty, Matosevic must forfeit prize money earned at the Morelos and Indian Wells ATP Challenger events that same month.

The 40-year-old initially denied the charges when formally notified in May 2025. However, in a public statement released in February 2026 via the...