Wimbledon winner now banned from tennis has explicit messages revealed in a new report
Wimbledon women’s singles champion Marketa Vondrousova sent two strong messages on the day she was found to have refused a doping test, according to a new document.
Vondrousova, who surprised many by winning the 2023 Wimbledon title as an unseeded player, was banned for four years by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in June.
She was first charged in December after she didn’t allow a Doping Control Officer (DCO) to enter her home during a surprise out-of-competition test.
The Czech tennis star explained in a hearing that she experienced an ‘Acute Stress Reaction’ and ‘Generalized Anxiety Disorder’ after the official rang her doorbell. She said the officer didn’t properly identify themselves or follow the correct steps. She also said she was scared, mentioning the case of her fellow Czech player Petra Kvitova, who was stabbed in the hand by a home intruder in 2016.
However, the ITIA tribunal decided that Vondrousova gave “no good reason” for refusing the test and ruled her out for a minimum of four years—just like if a player tested positive for doping. The decision came just before this year’s Wimbledon started, and Vondrousova was replaced by Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska in the women’s singles.
Now, the ITIA has shared the full report explaining what happened that night.
It says Vondrousova denied the charge, arguing the DCO didn’t show proper ID or authorization and that taking the sample was “mentally and morally impossible” due to her stress and anxiety.
The DCO, following the International Tennis Federation’s instructions, visited Vondrousova’s home in Prague around 8:05 p.m. to collect samples.
Vondrousova didn’t open the door and said she would call her agent because she had never been tested at home outside of her usual one-hour testing window before.
After talking with Vondrousova, her agent tried to contact a WTA official but got no reply. Vondrousova then messaged her partner, Andrew Paulson, saying, “So like here is ringing some c**t from the doping.”
This is where the disagreement between the ITIA and Vondrousova began.
She said she was scared because the DCO rang her doorbell five times before they spoke, and then up to 15 times after. She went downstairs briefly to let out her dog and see who was there but never opened the door because she didn’t feel safe.
She spoke to the DCO through the intercom and told her she wouldn’t let her in. Later, she signed a form refusing the test but said she didn’t really understand what the form meant and only signed it to get the DCO to leave.
The form said Vondrousova refused because the one-hour testing slot was supposed to be in the morning. Vondrousova also took a photo of the DCO and posted it on Instagram, saying to her agent, “This is completely f**ked up.”
Her agent said they didn’t know testing could happen outside of the one-hour slot and thought missing the test would be seen as an attempted or failed test, not a refusal.
The ITIA said the DCO did identify herself and explained testing could happen anytime. The officer rang the doorbell again after about five minutes and said she would wait a couple of hours if needed.
Vondrousova told her she could leave, but the DCO replied she couldn’t until the test was completed or the refusal was officially recorded.
They met face-to-face when Vondrousova went out with her dog. Vondrousova explained again she didn’t understand why the test was happening in the evening instead of her usual morning slot.
According to the ITIA, during this talk the DCO explained how important it was to do the test to avoid problems and that refusal could have serious consequences. The DCO also read out the form’s text, but Vondrousova waved it off without listening.
Now, Vondrousova is banned from all tennis until June 21, 2030.