'I have never doped': Wimbledon 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova protests innocence after four-year ban
Vondrousova said that the past seven months have been the “hardest of my life”
Former Wimbledon singles champion Marketa Vondrousova says she has “never doped” after being suspended from tennis for four years for refusing an anti-doping test.
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An independent tribunal concluded that there was “no compelling justification” for the 26-year-old Czech to have not submitted a sample when notified by a doping control officer, out of competition and at her home, on the night of December 3, 2025.
Vondrousova is not allowed to play in, coach at, or attend any events organised or sanctioned by the ITF, WTA, ATP, the Grand Slams, or any national association until June 21 2030.
The 2023 Wimbledon singles champion posted a statement on Instagram insisting she has “never doped”.
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Vondrousova said: “I never thought I would be writing something like this. And honestly, I would not wish what I have been through over the past few months on anyone.
“Waking up every day with uncertainty, fear, and the feeling that you are losing control over your own life is something that is difficult to put into words, it has been an incredibly exhausting and painful period that affected me far more deeply than I could ever have imagined.
“Tennis has been my entire life. From the moment I first picked up a racket as a little girl, through thousands of training sessions, injuries, comebacks, and moments I could only dream of back then.
“It gave me everything and I gave everything back to it.
“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.”
Vondrousova also said in her post that the past seven months have been the “hardest of my life”.
“The last seven months have taken more from me than I ever thought they could. They changed me,” she added.
“They left wounds that will not disappear overnight and honestly I do not know how long it will take to find my way back to the person I was before all of this.”
International Tennis Integrity Agency (ATIA) chief Karen Moorhouse said: “We understand that the testing process is uncomfortable, and acknowledge that it is an additional burden for players whose jobs already come with a high level of pressure and scrutiny, but it is essential to protect fair competition.
“Unpredictable testing is an essential tool to protect clean sport.
“The independent tribunal ultimately supported that principle. This case is an important reminder that players can be tested at any time, in any place, and that refusal comes with significant risk.”
According to an ATIA statement, Vondrousova, who reached a career-high world singles ranking of six in September 2023, claimed during the hearing that “stress and poor mental health had affected her decision making, in addition to concerns for her safety”.
The statement continued: “The tribunal considered this in their decision, as well as testimony from the Doping Control Officer who attempted to conduct the test, and concluded that the evidence offered ‘no compelling justification’ for the test refusal.”
Vondrousova, as well as ATIA and the National Anti-Doping Organisation, have the right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.