Former Wimbledon Champion Marketa Vondroušová received a four-year suspension on June 22 for refusing an anti-doping test, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced.
Vondroušová, who reached a career-high women’s singles ranking of six in September 2023, did not give a sample when notified by a doping control officer for an out-of-competition test attempt at her house on Dec. 3, 2025, at around 8 p.m., according to the agency.
“I have never doped. I have never had a positive test,” the Czech tennis star said in an Instagram post reacting to the suspension on June 22.
“I cooperated. I answered every question … I cannot say what comes next … they took away my joy, my confidence, and the sense of security I once had.”
She said that just three days after the incident, she was tested again, and she submitted a sample that came back negative.
On Feb. 27, Vondroušová was issued a formal notice that she’d face a disciplinary charge for refusing to submit the sample without a compelling justification.
“The recent doping control incident happened because I reached a breaking point after months of physical and mental stress. For a long time, I’ve been dealing with injury, constant pressure, and ongoing sleep issues that left me feeling exhausted and fragile,” she said in an Instagram post on Apr. 17.
“On top of that, years of hateful messages and threats have affected how safe I feel in my own space, when someone rang my door late at night without properly identifying themselves or following protocol—I reacted as a person who felt scared.”
The suspension decision was issued by an independent tribunal at a June 11 hearing in London.
Vondroušová argued that she was not properly notified since the officer didn’t fulfill mandatory identification and authorization requirements, and that she was suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Acute Stress Reaction, rendering the sample collection “mentally and morally impossible.”
ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said its testers are well-trained and professional, and that the gender of its testing witnesses always matches the player. She added that they carry ID at all times and that, if players are still unsure, they can verify the testers’ identities in other ways.
“We understand that the testing process is uncomfortable, and acknowledge that it is an additional burden for players whose jobs already come with a high level of pressure and scrutiny, but it is essential to protect fair competition,” she said.
Under anti-doping rules, a player who refuses a test is treated the same as a player who tests positive, to ensure players cannot serve a shorter suspension by simply refusing the test.
During the suspension, Vondroušová is not allowed to play in, coach at, or attend any events organized or sanctioned by any national association, including the International Tennis Federation, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), or the Grand Slams.
Any results Vondroušová earned since Dec. 3 will not be disqualified.
The 26-year-old, who has been playing professionally since she was 17, won the 2023 Wimbledon championship and earned a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She held a singles ranking of 34 at the end of the 2025 season.
Vondroušová, who will be days away from turning 31 once the full suspension has been served, is just the latest player to be involved in a high-profile doping case.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep faced a four-year ban in 2024, but won an appeal case while represented by Howard Jabocs, the same attorney who represented Vondroušová.
Judges determined it was probable that the Romanian player’s positive test for a banned blood-boosting substance was unintentional and the result of a contaminated supplement.
Six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension in 2024 after testing positive for TMZ, a heart medication. The ITIA accepted the Polish player’s explanation that it was unintentional and caused by contamination in the melatonin she was taking for jet lag.
Most recently, men’s world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner accepted a three-month suspension in Feb. 2025 following a positive test for Clostebol in 2024.
The Italian star’s explanation, which was accepted, was that the trace amounts of the drug in his sample were from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger and later gave Sinner a massage.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
