Marketa Vondrousova has been suspended for four years after refusing a doping test, a ruling that could keep the former Wimbledon champion out for the maximum penalty described in the case. The decision came after an independent tribunal ruled on the refusal tied to an out-of-competition test attempt at her home in early December 2025.
She did not submit a sample after being notified by a Doping Control Officer at around 8pm on December 3, 2025. The International Tennis Integrity Agency charged her in February, and the tribunal later imposed the four-year ban.
Vondrousova's April account
Vondroušová said in April that a late-night visit at her door left her scared and unable to process the situation rationally. In her Instagram statement, she wrote: "The recent doping control incident happened because I reached a breaking point after months of physical and mental stress."
She added: "When someone rang my door late at night without properly identifying themselves or following protocol — I reacted as a person who felt scared. In that moment, it was about feeling safe, not about avoiding anything." She also said: "Experts confirmed I suffered an Acute Stress Reaction (F43.O) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (F41.1). In that moment, fear clouded my judgment and i just couldn’t process the situation rationally. After what happened to Petra (Kvitová, the fellow Czech Wimbledon champion who was stabbed in her own home 10 years ago), we don’t take strangers at our door lightly."
ITIA and tribunal ruling
The International Tennis Integrity Agency said the testing process is uncomfortable but essential to protect fair competition, and added that testers carry ID and can be verified in other ways if players are unsure. In the same case, the tribunal said the evidence offered no compelling justification for refusing the test.
Tennis whereabouts rules require players to give a location and time slot for testing each day of the year, and refusing one test or failing to update whereabouts three times within 12 months can lead to a sanction. Vondroušová said the tester arrived outside the window she had given and also failed to identify themselves, but the tribunal still imposed the maximum penalty available in the case.
Court of Arbitration for Sport
Markéta Vondroušová, the International Tennis Integrity Agency and the player's National Anti-Doping Organisation each have the right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Jan Exner said he would review the written reasons and consult with Vondroušová before deciding on next steps, and the full written decision will be issued in due course.
The suspension leaves the case at its most important hinge point: either the ruling stands, or one of the parties takes it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and tests the four-year ban again.
