NEW DELHI: Senior Wimbledon Champion Marketa Vondrousova was banned for four years after she refused to take an anti-doping test at her home in December 2025. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said an independent tribunal found the Czech player guilty of violating anti-doping rules. His suspension will last until June 21, 2030, although he has the option of appealing the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.Vondrousova, who made history by becoming the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon in 2023, said the incident occurred during a difficult period in her life and linked her actions to struggles with her mental health.“It’s very difficult for me to talk about this, but I want to be transparent with you about my mental health,” said Vondrousova. “The recent doping control incident happened because I reached a breaking point after months of physical and mental stress.”The 26-year-old had previously said she refused the test due to “mental stress” and fear when the probation officer “knocked on my door late at night without properly identifying myself”.According to the ITIA, Vondrousova “failed to submit a sample when notified by a doping control officer (DCO) during an attempted out-of-competition test at her home around 8:00 p.m. on December 3, 2025.”Vondrousova was represented by lawyer Howard Jacobs, who previously helped Simona Halep reduce her own four-year ban. The Czech star now joins a list of major players linked to doping cases in recent years, including Halep, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek.The decision comes just days before the start of Wimbledon.
