Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova has been suspended for four years after declining to take anti-doping test last year, Yankee Scores reports.
Vondrousova, 26, was charged by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after she would not let a doping control officer into her home to conduct the test in December 2025.
In April the Czech player said she feared for her safety when the officer phoned to tell her they had not followed “protocol”.
The Tribunal Verdict
But a tribunal ruled that Vondrousova, who became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title in 2023, provided “no compelling justification” for refusing a test.
Vondrousova’s ban runs until June 21, 2030, but she has the right to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
If a player refuses to take a test, the anti-doping rules start from the same point as if the test had been positive, per BBC Sport.
The Safety Defense
Vondrousova said she had been struggling with stress and poor mental health and these factors, along with her safety concerns, had influenced her decision making during the hearing.
While the testing process is “uncomfortable”, the agency also acknowledges the extra burden it can place on players competing, ITIA chief executive officer Karen Moorhouse said. But “it is essential to protect fair competition”.
“Safety and welfare of players and our testers is really important to us. Our testers are well-trained, professional, and the gender of our testing witness always matches the player.
“They carry ID at all times, and players are able to verify their identity in other ways if they are ever unsure.”
The world number 122 said her refusal was due to safety reason and nothing else, adding that: “in that moment it was about feeling safe, not about avoiding anything.”
