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06/22 10:50 CDT Former Wimbledon champion Vondrousova suspended 4 years for
refusing doping test
Former Wimbledon champion Vondrousova suspended 4 years for refusing doping test
By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer
Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was suspended for four years on
Monday for refusing an anti-doping test --- even though the Czech player cited
"mental stress" and fear when the testing agent "rang my door late at night
without properly identifying themselves."
The International Tennis Integrity Agency made the announcement, saying that
Vondrousova refused a test in December, and that the decision was reached by an
independent tribunal following a hearing held this month.
Vondrousova became Wimbledon's first unseeded female champion when she beat Ons
Jabeur in the 2023 title match. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 6 that
year. She also reached the French Open final in 2019, losing to Ash Barty.
The 26-year-old Vondrousova detailed her reaction to the missed test in an
Instagram post in April.
"It is very tough for me to talk about this, but I want to be transparent with
you about my mental health," Vondrousova said. "The recent doping control
incident happened because I reached a breaking point after months of physical
and mental stress."
The ITIA said Vondrousova "did not submit a sample when notified by a Doping
Control Officer (DCO) during an out-of-competition test attempt at her home at
around 8 p.m. on 3 December 2025" and that she instead signed a refusal form.
Vondrousova was represented by Los Angeles-based lawyer Howard Jacobs, a
specialist in doping rules cases. Jacobs helped two-time Grand Slam singles
champion Simona Halep win an appeal case in 2024 at CAS against a four-year ban
for doping.
Vondrousova becomes the latest high-profile tennis player involved in a doping
case after Halep, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek.
Sinner accepted a three-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping
Agency at the start of last year and Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension at
the end of 2024.
Halep, Sinner and Swiatek each proved that they were not entirely responsible
for their positive tests.
"We recognize this is a significant ban," ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said. "And
the reason for that, stepping back, is that you can't have an anti-doping
system where a player is in a better place by refusing to take a test than they
would by taking a test and testing positive. So that feeds into the structure
of the doping rules that provides for a starting point in the four-year ban for
refusing to take a test."
Vondrousova's ban expires June 21, 2030. She can appeal the decision to the
Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.
During a hearing before the tribunal, Vondrousova presented explanations that
stress and poor mental health had affected her decision making, in addition to
concerns for her safety because she claimed that the tester did not identity
herself.
The tribunal considered this in their decision, as well as testimony from the
doping control officer who attempted to conduct the test, and concluded that
the evidence offered "no compelling justification" for the test refusal.
Tennis players and other pro athletes are required by anti-doping rules to
specify where they will be available for a one-hour period each day to give
samples for testing.
The female testing agent showed up at Vondrousova's home outside the assigned
hour that the player had signed up for that day --- in a surprise test.
Athletes are required to submit for testing if they are located for a surprise
test outside their assigned hour. If they are not found when a tester shows up
outside assigned hours, there is no sanction.
"Unpredictable testing is an essential tool to protect clean sport," Moorhouse
said. "The independent tribunal ultimately supported that principle. This case
is an important reminder that players can be tested at any time, in any place,
and that refusal comes with significant risk."
The ITIA would not say if any inconsistencies were found in Vondrousova's
previous anti-doping history.
"We wouldn't disclose that," said Nicole Sapstead, the ITIA's senior director
of anti-doping, adding: "Obviously we look at all things like that."
Wimbledon starts next week.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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