The 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova has revealed that she is under investigation for refusing a doping test – an offence which, if confirmed, could lead to a ban of up to four years.
Posting on Instagram, Vondrousova said the issue arose after she had felt afraid to open her door to a stranger, out of concern that she might suffer a physical attack like the knife assault that injured fellow Czech player Petra Kvitova in 2016.
She also claimed that the tester in question had “rang my door late at night without properly identifying themselves or following protocol”, and added that “I’m still working to clear my name”.
A spokesperson for the International Tennis Integrity Agency said: “We are aware of the player’s comments. We can confirm that an investigation is underway and the player has been charged with refusing a test. At this stage, we are not able to comment any further on the specifics.”
Vondrousova’s revelation arrived in the middle of an Instagram post which began with her saying that she had been suffering from intense stress and mental health issues.
“I need to tell you something,” she opened. “I can’t really keep saying I’m okay when I’m not… The recent doping control incident happened because I reached a breaking point after months of physical and mental stress.
“For a long time, I’ve been dealing with injury, constant pressure, and ongoing sleep issues that left me feeling exhausted and fragile… On top of that, years of hateful messages and threats have affected how safe I feel in my own space.”
Vondrousova has previously complained about what she deems to be intrusive testing. In an Instagram story from last year, she said that a tester had turned up at 8.15pm even though that was not the hour of availability she had listed on her “whereabouts” form, and that they then told her: “This is the life of the professional athlete.”
The latest incident appears to have been a different case, as the previous tester had left her asking: “Is it normal for doping officers to sit in our living rooms at night waiting for us to pee?” In the new instance, she does not even seem to have allowed the officer into her home.
As she explained, “Experts confirmed I suffered an acute stress reaction (F43.0) and generalised anxiety disorder (F41.1). In that moment, fear clouded my judgment and I just couldn’t process the situation rationally. After what happened to Petra, we don’t take strangers at our door lightly.”
Kvitova had said she was “fortunate to be alive” after a burglary at her home in the Czech city of Prostejov nearly 10 years ago. She allowed a man claiming to be a meter reader into her flat, whereupon he held a knife to her throat. Kvitova then suffered a serious hand injury while wriggling out of his grasp, which required four hours of emergency surgery to repair. It was a minor miracle that she was able to resume her tennis career only five months later.
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