Marketa Vondrousova ‘made it clear she was refusing a test’ and ‘left her apartment to walk her dog’
A host of WTA players have offered their support to Marketa Vondrousova after she was handed a lengthy ban for refusing an anti-doping test, but new details have emerged about the decision behind her suspension.
The 2023 Wimbledon winner has been banned for four years after she refused to submit a sample to a doping control officer during an out-of-competition test attempt at her home last December.
Vondrousova claimed concerns for her safety as well as stress and poor mental health contributed to her decision not to open the door to the official, but the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) charged her for refusing to submit a sample.
Following a hearing, an independent tribunal found that the evidence offered by the Czech player had “no compelling justification” for the test refusal.
The former world No 6 posted a lengthy statement on social media following the ITIA announcement, writing that she has never failed a dope test adding: “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.”
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Dozens of WTA players posted emojis of love and heartbreak in response while some added a comment with Sorana Cirstea writing: “I can’t believe this. We are with you.”
Eva Lys wrote on X: “This is COMPLETELY insane. Sending so much love to Marketa…”
But The Guardian reports that it wasn’t just a case of Vondrousova refusing to let an official into her home, as she signed a form to say she refused to take the test and then went out to walk her dog.
ITIA Senior Director of Anti-Doping Nicole Sapstead stated: “It was a single female doping-control officer. The player signed the refusal form outside. She left her apartment to walk her dog and made it clear to the doping control officer that she was refusing a test. The doping control officer asked her to sign the form to indicate as much.
“We ask our doping control officers to be as clear as possible when they’re engaging with players. It’s not for them to tell a player where a sanction may lay, or if they choose to refuse.
“But what we do say is: ‘Please make it very clear that there are consequences, some significant consequences, if that individual refuses.’ So yes, that was made very clear to the player. It was very clear that the player did not wish to engage with the process.”
