Appeal lodged with CAS
Marketa Vondrousova is challenging a four-year ban imposed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency for declining an out-of-competition doping test at her home in December 2025. The Court of Arbitration for Sport has received her appeal, but a hearing date remains pending. This ban was handed down in June.[S1][S3][S4][S6]
The 27-year-old Czech, who won Wimbledon in 2023 as the first unseeded player to do so, has not played since January and has dropped to world number 153. Her suspension is set to expire on June 21, 2030.[S1][S3][S4][S6]
Vondrousova's defense
Vondrousova has consistently denied doping, stating she has never had a positive test. She described being at a 'breaking point' due to physical and mental stress when the officer arrived at 8:15pm on December 3, outside her allotted whereabouts slot. She claimed the officer did not properly identify themselves or follow protocol, and she signed a refusal form before walking her dog.[S1][S3][S4][S6]
Marketa Vondrousova cited safety concerns, including the 2016 attack on Petra Kvitova, for refusing an anti-doping test. Despite a later negative test result, an independent tribunal found her justification lacking, noting her activities immediately after the refusal.[S1][S3][S4][S6]
Reactions and comparisons
Jessica Pegula criticizes the severity of a ban, citing disparities with Jannik Sinner's three-month suspension in 2025 and Iga Swiatek's one-month penalty in 2024. Pegula questions the fairness of these differing punishments.[S4]
