Ex-Wimbledon champion facing four year ban from the sport
Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova could be banned for up to four years following a visit from a doping control official.
Three years after beating Ons Jabeur in women's final at Wimbledon, Vondrousova is facing a potential four year ban from tennis.
The Czech player has revealed that she is currently under investigation for refusing a doping test and should it be confirmed, it could lead to a ban of up to four years.
Vondrousova claims that in December someone arrived at her home “late at night” and didn’t identify themselves.
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It was later revealed that the random visit was from a doping control official looking to collect a sample, but couldn't do so as Vondrousova wouldn't let them in due to fears for her safety.
Posting about the incident on Instagram, she wrote: "It is very tough for me to talk about this, but I want to be transparent with you about my mental health. 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.
“It slowly wore me down more than I probably realised at the time. And on top of that, years of hateful messages and threats have affected how safe I feel in my own space.
“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. Experts confirmed I suffered an Acute Stress Reaction (F43.0) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder (F41.1).
“In that moment, fear clouded my judgement and I just could not process the situation rationally. After what happened to Petra [Kvitova], we don’t take strangers at our door lightly.”
Vondrousova mentioned fellow Czech tennis player Kvitova, who said she was “fortunate to be alive” after she was attacked during a burglary at her home nearly 10 years ago.
Kvitova led a man who claimed to be meter reader into her flat but the man then attacker her, holding a knife to her throat and causing her to suffer a serious hand injury while escaping.
Confirming the investigation, a spokesperson for the International Tennis Integrity Agency told The Telegraph: “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 has previously complained about the extent of testing on professional tennis players, claiming on Instragram last year that a tester had showed up at 8.15pm, outside of her the hours of availability listed on her “whereabouts” form.
She claims they told her: “This is the life of the professional athlete.”
Ben McCrum