Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova given four-year suspension for refusing drug test | World News

Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova has been handed a four-year suspension after she refused an anti-doping test.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced the suspension on Monday after Vondrousova refused the test in December and an independent tribunal reached the decision.

The 26-year-old Czech player said her decision to turn down the test stemmed from “mental stress” and fear when the testing agent “rang my door late at night without properly identifying themselves”.

The ban expires on 21 June 2030 and Vondrousova has the option to appeal the decision to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The two-time Grand Slam finalist will be 30 years old when the suspension expires.

Vondrousova, who won Wimbledon in 2023, reached a career-high ranking of number six that year.

ITIA said Vondrousova did not submit a sample when notified by a doping control officer during an out-of-competition test attempt at her home on 3 December at about 8pm.

The tribunal concluded that the evidence offered “no compelling justification” for the test refusal, the ITIA said.

Vondrousova gave insight into the reasons for the missed test in an Instagram post in April.

“It is very tough for me to talk about this, but I want to be transparent with you about my mental health,” Vondrousova said.

“The recent doping control incident happened because I reached a breaking point after months of physical and mental stress.”

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Vondrousova’s lawyer Jan Exner said her team would review the written reasons for the suspension before deciding their next course of action.

“First, we must consult with Marketa; I do not want to speculate on further steps at this moment,” he said.

Former world number six Vondrousova has not competed since pulling out of the Adelaide International in January due to a shoulder injury.

Her suspension comes ahead of the beginning of the Wimbledon grand slam next week.