Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, has been handed a four-year suspension by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for refusing a drugs test. The 25-year-old Czech tennis player claimed she had suffered an acute stress reaction when a doping control official visited her on 3 December 2025, outside her designated whereabouts submission slot. Vondrousova stated that she had reached a breaking point due to months of physical and mental stress, which prevented her from thinking rationally.
The ITIA announced that an independent tribunal had ruled Vondrousova's evidence as 'no compelling justification' for her refusal of the test. Under anti-doping rules, players who refuse a test are subject to the same sanctions as those who test positive. The ITIA's chief executive, Karen Moorhouse, stated that unpredictable testing is essential to protect clean sport and that players can be tested at any time, in any place.
Vondrousova released a statement pleading her innocence, claiming she has 'never doped' and has always undergone anti-doping controls with a clear conscience. The full written decision will be released in due course.