Ajla Tomljanovic's emotions are raw, a perfect storm of outrage and dismay brewing inside her as news breaks of Marketa Vondrousova's four-year doping ban. The Australian veteran, herself a Wimbledon quarter-finalist twice over, can't contain her disgust at the ITIA's handling of the case.
Tomljanovic, who had just emerged victorious in Eastbourne on Monday, was still coming to terms with the news as she spoke out against the 'disgrace' that has left the tennis world reeling. Her own experiences with the ITIA have left her wary, to say the least – 'awful', is how she describes them.
'I wouldn't want some stranger turning up at my doorstep,' Tomljanovic said, her words laced with a deep-seated mistrust of the agency. 'In fact, I can count on one hand the number of good experiences I've had with these people – and that's being generous.' She believes they're out to get players like Vondrousova, who now faces a lengthy suspension after refusing to provide a sample.
The ITIA's reasoning is simple: Vondrousova initially said she was scared by the presence of a stranger outside her home, but then signed a release form and took her dog for a walk. The agency claims this was an attempt to deceive them – but opinions on the case are divided, with some players, including Fran Jones, calling the four-year ban 'extreme'.