Former Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová has been handed a four-year ban from tennis after refusing to allow an anti-doping officer to conduct a test at her home in December 2025.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) charged the 26-year-old after she denied entry to a doping control officer who arrived to carry out a routine test. A tribunal later ruled that she provided “no compelling justification” for her refusal.
Under the ruling, Vondroušová’s suspension will run until 21 June 2030, although she retains the right to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The ITIA stated that refusing to comply with a test carries the same sanction framework as returning a positive doping result, making the offence a serious violation of anti-doping regulations.
Vondroušová, who won the Wimbledon women’s singles title in 2023 as an unseeded player, argued during the hearing that she acted out of fear for her personal safety and distress over how the officer approached her residence.
She said she believed proper protocol was not followed and that she was not adequately reassured about the identity of the official who arrived at her home late at night.
“In that moment it was about feeling safe, not about avoiding anything,” she said, adding that stress and mental health challenges also influenced her decision-making.
However, the tribunal concluded that these concerns did not justify refusal of a mandatory anti-doping procedure.
ITIA chief executive Karen Moorhouse said the organisation recognises that testing can be uncomfortable for athletes but stressed that it remains essential to maintaining fairness in competition.
She added that testers are professionally trained, carry identification, and follow strict protocols designed to protect both athletes and officials, including gender-matching requirements for chaperones.
The ruling marks a significant setback for Vondroušová, who is currently ranked outside the top 100 and now faces a prolonged absence from professional tennis unless her appeal succeeds.
