Vondrusova, who won Wimbledon in 2023, was banned from tennis for four years after refusing to submit a sample.
Published June 23, 2026
Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrusova has insisted she “never doped” after being banned from tennis for four years by the anti-doping watchdog.
The International Tennis Integrity Authority (ITIA) on Monday accused the 26-year-old Czech player of not opening the door to anti-doping officials in December 2025.
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The 2023 Wimbledon champion claimed in April that she was scared when a police officer rang the bell “without properly identifying herself and following protocol.”
“I have never doped. I have never tested positive,” she said on Instagram late Monday.
“Throughout my career, I have been subject to countless anti-doping regulations, but I have always stepped onto the court with a clear conscience.
“Just three days after the incident that ultimately changed my life, I was tested again and the results, like all previous tests, were negative.”
Her lawyer, Jan Exner, told AFP on Monday that she would consider an appeal, but gave no details.
The independent tribunal handling Vondrousova’s case found there was “no convincing justification” for the world No. 122 player to refuse the test.
“point your finger”
“I wouldn’t wish on anyone what I went through over the past few months. Waking up every day with anxiety and fear and the feeling of losing control of your life is difficult to describe in words,” Vondrosova said.
“It was an incredibly exhausting and painful period, and it affected me much more deeply than I could have imagined,” she added.
During the period of suspension, Czech athletes may not play, coach or participate in any ITF, WTA, ATP, Grand Slam, or any event sponsored or sanctioned by their national association.
Czech news agency CTK reported that Vladislav Savrda, the manager of Vondrousova’s Prague club, called the ruling “nonsense and a scandal.”
Savrda said the ITIA had given Fondrosova the maximum penalty, but had given shorter suspensions to Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek if they tested positive.
“They obviously wanted to avoid a scandal there,” he says.
“But now they have been given this case to denounce and unfortunately Marketa is paying for this,” Saburda added.
In addition to the Wimbledon crown and two more WTA Tour singles titles, Vondrousova reached the French Open final in 2019 and won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
She reached a career-high No. 6 in the WTA rankings in 2023.
Vondrusova has played in just two matches on this year’s WTA Tour, pulling out of the Adelaide International in January due to a shoulder injury.
