Exclusive: Marinko Matosevic recalls 'sleepless nights', slams 'legal cheating' amid 'amateurish' ITIA process

(Getty/Michael Dodge)

Former Australian player Marinko Matosevic has set the record straight in a tell-all interview, taking aim at the ITIA's "corrupt" process involving an investigation into a blood transfusion eight years ago.

In November 2018, Matosevic retired from professional tennis at the age of 32, nine months after playing his final match on the ATP Tour.

However, it has now been revealed by the player himself that he retired from the sport because he felt "disgusted" with himself straight after going through a blood transfusion in Morelos, Mexico, in February 2018 to assist with his health issues, first discovered the year prior.

Blood transfusions are deemed a Prohibited Method under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, as they can enhance performance by increasing red blood cell count and oxygen capacity, whether it be autologous (self-donated) or homologous (donor).

Although he admitted to his mistake, Matosevic slammed the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for its "amateurish" and "aggressive" handling of the situation, which began mid-2024.

Matosevic, 40, reached out to The First Serve to release a statement on his behalf.

"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," part of his statement read.

"Secondly, I am writing this letter to let the tennis world know how corrupt and unjust the ITIA process is. They take your phone under threatening circumstances and make legal cases over photos and text message assumptions that are literally over 5 years old. The whole process is corrupt and lacks credibility, as we have seen over the last few years! These are man-made rules that get changed on a whim and to suit questionable objectives; they are not moral or right! The other 'complicity' charges they have against me are total nonsense and have been put together with nothing but text messages from years ago, using more made-up laws like 'intent' "

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In the same week, Matosevic exclusively spoke to The First Serve, allowing him to explain his version of events.

"In 2017, I had some health issues, which were like respiratory viruses about two or three times in that year, and I just couldn't regain my fitness," he told The First Serve.

"[I was] playing a good level [in 2018]. Again, I had a drop in fitness, and I just wasn't feeling my old self.

"Under desperate circumstances in Mexico, with all the research I did, I'm like, 'Ok, stuff it. I'm gonna do something drastic to improve my health and fitness'."

Then, six years later, the ITIA had become aware of a photo of Matosevic at the doctor's in Mexico from 2018, taken by an unnamed player and a friend, which was then linked through text messages.

Matosevic revealed that ITIA officials took his phone "under threatening circumstances" during the 2024 Rome Masters. At the time, he was coaching Chris O'Connell and Jordan Thompson in the main draw.

If he didn't oblige, the ITIA threatened to revoke his tournament accreditation and deny him the chance to coach his players during the event.

"Chris [O'Connell] was literally playing in three to four hours at this stage, it's late afternoon, and I'm like, 'I don't want to give my phone', and they're like, 'Well, if you don't give it, we're taking accreditation right away. We've got the ATP's support in this'," said Matosevic.

"They put me in a very tough position... It was just very aggressive and very unprofessional. They said the words 'blood transfusion' in the hallway where other people could hear.

"They had no real evidence besides this photo. It was just a photo of me at the doctor's. They've pieced together their whole case from text messages, from the player and his friend, and some text messages from the player to my phone. But I don't know whether the other player [who had his phone searched] has cooperated with them and told them the truth either."

Matosevic claims the ITIA held no records of any medical forms from the blood transfusion. Instead, their evidence was a credit card charge at a nearby restaurant / gentlemen's bar under Matosevic's name, even though the former world No.39 paid for the blood transfusion appointment in cash.

After not hearing from the ITIA for months, Matosevic says he was interviewed in Saudi Arabia, where hed claims he quickly realised that the system is "corrupt".

"Why it's very corrupt is because the whole interview was basically centred around a 75 per cent reduction if I cooperated," Matosevic shared.

"I mean, they never even took out a lawyer because I've never taken it seriously, because the whole process is very amateurish. They keep adding evidence after dates or just super obscure charges."

Matosevic went on to list three other charges against him, with all three involving texts he had received from people he knows personally, describing the charges as "ridiculous" and "bogus".

• One player asked Matosevic if he could get him any "natty" products based in Melbourne, where Matosevic wiped away the question and said, "I'll see what I can do".

• A different player asked Matosevic how long clenbuterol takes to get into your system, to which he responded after 48 hours.

• A female friend of Matosevic texted him about getting on Ozempic.

Two of the above charges were at a time when Matosevic claims he was a civilian.

Over the last 18 months, high-profile cases involving Jannik Sinner and Iga Świątek have caused fierce debate about tennis' integrity and how the lower-ranked players are not equal.

"It's not the same playing field for the top players and the lower-ranked players," said Matosevic.

"I'm a coach, so that's another reason why it's super corrupt. Everyone knows... we've all seen the top players go through stuff, and I've heard other top players being under investigation and nothing coming out, which is fine, I guess they were innocent.

"The main thing I want to raise is the legal cheating going on in tennis. There's a thing called TUE (Therapeutic Use Exemption). I know a top female player who has over five TUEs, has had seven at a time. You can get IV drips if you get a TUE.

"And the big one is adderall. So many players are on adderall.

"When the ITIA was asking me to cooperate to give me a 75 per cent reduction, I was like, 'You guys know who's cheating... just release that'."

When it comes to the ITIA and how they are funded, Matosevic disclosed a multi-million dollar bombshell.

"With the players and lawyers I've spoken to, [the ITIA] have a budget of around $20 million and they have used it," he said.

"They have flown out to Oceania on two separate occasions in business class to interview a player about a bogus charge [regarding] a player asking for weed after they lost the match, and they're getting him on a technicality that he's using a prohibited substance while he's in competition.

"Who knows how much two business class tickets are from London to Oceania and then staying at top hotels?"

Matosevic has ceased all communication and won't attend the next hearing, but the ITIA are still opting to go ahead with the hearing.

The Aussie went on to stress the importance of clarifying that the players he coached at the time, Chris O'Connell and Jordan Thompson, are "clean athletes" and "didn't do anything wrong".

He also opened up on how it's an "unwinnable" case, ATP's miscommunication, and what it all means for his coaching future, with the ITIA believing that Matosevic "never fully retired", going as far as pressuring him into signing a retirement form at the end of 2024 during the meeting in Saudi Arabia.

Click below to listen to the full 30-minute interview.

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