Former Wimbledon champion’s drugs ban called a ‘disgrace’

Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova’s four-year ban has been called a “disgrace” by a fellow player.

Vondrousova refused to take an anti-doping test last December after a doping control officer arrived at her home for an out-of-competition test at around 8pm. She said she felt afraid to open the door to a stranger out of concern she might suffer an attack, following the knife assault on fellow Czech player Petra Kvitova in 2016.

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“I wouldn’t be comfortable if I’m living alone and someone comes at 8pm,” Ajla Tomljanovic said following her first-round win at Eastbourne on Monday.

“Overall I can count on one hand good experiences with these people. I think they’re always out to get you. They’re not very nice.

“It’s kind of a disgrace what’s happened to Marketa [Vondrousova]. It’s really sad that we’re part of a sport where I think that if you’re… the treatment isn’t equal. Equality is what we strike for.”

Tomljanovic referred to the fact that “someone gets four years and someone else gets two weeks in the off-season”. In 2024, both Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek avoided substantial bans after testing positive for banned substances. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruled on both occasions that the players bore “no significant fault or negligence”.

In November 2024, Swiatek accepted a one-month ban after testing positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a banned substance, but only had eight days of her suspension left to serve after it was backdated. The drug appeared to have been found in medication she was taking to treat jet lag.

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Vondrousova’s suspension will end on June 21, 2030, and she will not be allowed to play in, coach at or attend any events sanctioned by the ITF, WTA, ATP, grand slam tournaments or any national associations.

“I hope she appeals. I hope it gets better, but it’s never good when the first ruling is a four-year ban,” Tomljanovic said.

“I just think that the whole ITIA, they’re so cocky. They’re almost out to get you even if you are doing nothing wrong. The rules don’t make sense.

“I can tell you the app doesn’t work half the time. But then if you miss a test you get a fail. Three fails and you’re done.”

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The app, as Tomljanovic explains, requires players (or their associates) to input daily movements so that test windows can be co-ordinated, but it does not always function properly. When it fails players must email an administrator to solve the problem. The ITIA says it is made by the World Anti Doping Agency (Wada) rather than themselves.

During the hearing, Vondrousova said that poor mental health and stress had affected her decision-making, in addition to the safety concerns she highlighted.

The tribunal considered Vondrousova’s defence, in addition to testimony from the doping control officer who attempted to take the sample and found that the player’s evidence offered “no compelling justification” for refusing.

Vondrousova published a statement on her Instagram account on Monday and said: “I have never doped. I have never had a positive test. Throughout my entire career, I have undergone countless anti-doping controls and have always stepped onto the court with a clear conscience. Just three days after the incident that ultimately changed my life, I was tested again. The result was negative. Just like every test before it.”

When Tomljanovic first came on to the tour she said she missed a deadline because she was not aware of the protocols, which caused her to receive a fail.

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“I have known players that once they’ve come out of their slot, they’ll sit in their house for seven hours just to make their [the doping control officers’] life painful,” Tomljanovic explains.

Tomljanovic once told doping control officers to accompany her to the US Open when they arrived outside a testing window. They had to wait for her practice and the mandatory two hours afterwards before she provided a sample.

When asked about Tomljanovic’s comments regarding the malfunctioning app, the regulations concerning a missed slot and communication of regulations, an ITIA spokesman said: “This case – unfortunate as it is for the individual – should make it clear that players can and will be tested outside of their allocated hour. Everyone wants a clean sport and to achieve this we need to have a strong testing programme which must be unpredictable.

“We know this can be challenging for players. Having someone in your home or hotel room to watch you pee is stressful. We believe most of our testers deal with this in a respectful way, but they too have a challenging and not always pleasant job. We would encourage any player who has questions about the process, or issues with a tester to talk to us. We will always listen to any concerns or feedback.

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“There are set rules in anti-doping which cover multiple sports, not just tennis and we apply those rules fairly, based on facts and evidence. We regularly hold sessions online and at tournaments to explain the rules, help players navigate the system and make the right decisions and players can contact us anytime with questions.”

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