Former Aussie no. 1 tennis player Matosevic calls ITIA corrupt, gets four-year ban six weeks later on doping charges
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Former Aussie no. 1 tennis player Matosevic calls ITIA corrupt, gets four-year ban six weeks later on doping charges")
Ex-Aussie no. 1 tennis player calls ITIA corrupt, gets banned for 4 years Photograph: (AFP)
Througout the hearing process, the 40-year-old denined all the charges levelled against him except accepting blood doping in a social media post shortly before the hearing on the matter. He termed his actions of getting a blood transfusion done in Mexico in 2018 as ‘stupid.’
Marinko Matosevic, former Australia number 1 and a once number 39 in world, has been banned for four years by International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for five anti-doping related charges betwee 2018 and 2020. The ban comes six weeks after Mastosevic criticised the ITIA 'corrupt'. Mastosevic has refuted all the charges against him and the agency has also denied any allegations levelled by the former Aussie number 1 who is now a tennis coach. Matosevic was reprimanded for using prohibited method through blood doping and facilitating another player to blood dope, providing advice to others on how to avoid positive tests, and use and possession of the prohibited substance clenbuterol.
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Througout the hearing process, the 40-year-old denined all the charges levelled against him except accepting blood doping in a social media post shortly before the hearing on the matter. He termed his actions of getting a blood transfusion done in Mexico in 2018 as 'stupid.' Matosevic retired shortly afterwards.
In a statement to Australian tennis website The First Serve last month, Matosevic said: "I am writing this confession letter firstly to warn other athletes against doing anything that may harm their health and put their lives at risk, because there is a long life after an athlete’s career."
"Secondly, I am writing this letter to let the tennis world know how corrupt and unjust the ITIA process is.
"They take your phone number under threatening circumstances and make legal cases over photos and text message assumptions that are literally five years old.
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"The whole process is corrupt and lacks credibility, as we have seen over the last few years!'"
The ITIA, meanwhile, has said that it "acted within the authority conferred" upon it by the Tennis Anti-Doping Protocal (TADP).
