MARKETA VONDROUSOVA BANNED FOR FOUR YEARS AFTER REFUSING DOPING TEST

Marketa Vondrousova has been suspended from professional tennis for four years after refusing an anti-doping test in December 2025. The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced the ban on Monday following an independent tribunal hearing. Vondrousova, who won Wimbledon in 2023, declined to provide a sample when a doping control officer visited her home at approximately 8pm on 3 December 2025. The tribunal stated she provided "no compelling justification" for the refusal.

Vondrousova had previously described the test attempt as a serious intrusion into her privacy. In April 2026, she released a statement saying she had reached breaking point and felt scared when someone rang her doorbell late at night without properly identifying themselves or following protocol. She insisted she had no intention of avoiding a test but was concerned for her own safety. Medical experts subsequently confirmed she had suffered from an acute stress reaction and generalised anxiety disorder, which she disclosed publicly.

Under anti-doping rules, the starting point for a sanction when a player refuses a test must be equivalent to the penalty for testing positive. Vondrousova, who achieved a career-high world ranking of number 6 in September 2023, was also an Olympic silver medallist. The ban effectively ends her competitive career in professional tennis for the duration of the suspension.