Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova responds after being hit with four-year ban - 'I have never doped'

Vondrousova denied entry to a doping control officer to her home back in December 2025.

The 26-year-old says she feared for her safety as she claimed the officer in question failed to follow "protocol".

In an Instagram post back in April, Vondrousova wrote: "The recent doping control incident happened because I reached a breaking point after months of physical and mental stress.

"When someone rang my door late at night without properly identifying themselves or following protocol, I reacted as a person who felt scared.

"In that moment it was about feeling safe, not about avoiding anything."

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) states that a player "evading sample collection or refusing or failing to submit to sample collection without compelling justification after notification by a duly authorised person" is deemed an anti-doping violation.

Vondrousova addressed the situation on social media on Monday, saying: "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.

"The past seven months have been the hardest of my life. Seven months of waiting. Seven months of uncertainty. Seven months of fighting… I cooperated. I answered every question. I provided everything that was asked of me…

"This entire process changed me. The sleepless nights. The anxiety. The days when it was difficult to function normally.

"Professional sport means accepting rules and controls. I have always respected them, and I understand why they exist. I only wish that they never lose their humanity and that those responsible for enforcing the rules are held to the same standards.

"There were many moments when I felt I no longer had the strength to continue. That is why I am proud that we never gave up and fought until the very last day for what we believed in.

"Today, however, I cannot say what comes next. The last seven months have left marks that will not disappear overnight. They took away my joy, my confidence, and the sense of security I once had. And I honestly do not know how long it will take to find those things again.

"For the first time in my life, I do not have a plan. For the first time in my life, I do not know where the road ahead leads… they changed me.

"Even though this chapter ends with more pain than I ever imagined, it does not erase who I am, what I believe in, or everything I gave to this sport."

Vondrousova made history in 2023 when she defeated Ons Jabeur to become the first unseeded ladies' singles champion in the open era.

However, since her success three years ago, she has failed to make it beyond the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam, doing so at the French Open in 2024 and the US Open in 2025.

Vondrousova, though, has not played since the Adelaide International earlier this year, where she beat Russian Liudmila Samsonova before withdrawing from the tournament.

Her ban will now expire on June 21, 2030, though she can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Wimbledon, meanwhile, begins next week as Jannik Sinner looks to defend his men's singles crown. Iga Swiatek is looking to defend the women's singles championship.

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