Refusing a Doping Test, the 2023 Wimbledon Champion Was Suspended for 4 Years

Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova/ Photo: © Univers Tennis/X via Tennis World USA

JAKARTA - Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova has been banned for four years for refusing a doping test. The Czech tennis player said that she was under mental pressure and fear when officers came to her house at night.

As reported by HuffPost, quoted Tuesday, June 23, the sanctions were announced by the International Tennis Integrity Agency or ITIA on Monday. Vondrousova is said to have refused a test outside the competition on December 3, 2025 at around 20.00. An out-of-competition test means a doping test conducted when the athlete is not competing.

ITIA stated that the 26-year-old tennis player did not submit a sample when asked by the doping control officer. He even signed a refusal form.

Vondrousova became the first non-elite female tennis player to win Wimbledon after defeating Ons Jabeur in the 2023 final. In the same year, she reached her career-best ranking at number 6 in the world.

He also reached the 2019 French Open final, but lost to Ash Barty.

In an Instagram post in April, Vondrousova said the incident happened when she was at a low point after months of physical and mental stress.

"It's very difficult for me to talk about, but I want to be transparent with you about my mental health," Vondrousova said, as quoted by HuffPost.

After the verdict, Vondrousova confirmed that she had never used doping.

"I have never used doping. I have never had a positive test result," he wrote on Instagram.

He said he had undergone many anti-doping tests throughout his career. Three days after the incident of refusal, he was tested again and the result was negative.

However, an independent tribunal judged Vondrousova's explanation not to be strong enough. In the hearing, she said that stress, poor mental condition, and concerns about safety because the test officers were not properly introduced.

The tribunal also heard testimony from doping control officers and concluded there was no compelling reason to justify the refusal of the test.

ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse, quoted by Huffpost, said the four-year ban was the starting point in the doping rules for cases of refusal to test.

"The anti-doping system cannot work if a player is in a better position by refusing a test than undergoing a test and getting a positive result," Moorhouse said.

Anti-doping rules require tennis players and professional athletes to provide information on their location for one hour each day for testing needs. However, athletes can also be tested suddenly outside of that time if officers find them.

Vondrousova is the latest big name to be dragged into the doping scandal in tennis after Simona Halep, Jannik Sinner, and Iga Swiatek.

Sinner received a three-month ban through a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency at the beginning of last year. Swiatek received a one-month ban at the end of 2024. Halep, Sinner, and Swiatek each proved they were not entirely responsible for their positive test results.

Vondrousova is represented by Howard Jacobs, a Los Angeles-based lawyer known for handling doping cases. Jacobs helped Halep win an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2024.

Vondrousova's suspension runs until June 21, 2030. She can still appeal to the CAS in Switzerland.

Vondrousova, currently ranked 122 in the world, has not played since January. Wimbledon starts next week.