Matej is a native of Croatia where he was ranked in the top five junior players in the country. He graduated from New Mexico State University with a dual degree in Finance and International Business. At NMSU he captained the men's tennis team and played in the no.1 position in both singles and doubles attaining a top 50 NCAA Division 1 ranking. He was also named to the Western Athletic Conference First Team.
Following his graduation from NMSU, Matej was Director of Tennis at Picacho Hills Country Club in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He was responsible for scheduling both junior and adult clinic programs, managing the club's accounting program and organizing the club's tennis league teams.