Vondrousova Ban: The Tour Rallies Together, Tomljanovic Slams the ITIA

Marketa Vondrousova has been suspended for four years by the ITIA after refusing to take a doping test on December 3, 2025, when an inspector showed up at her home in the Czech Republic late in the evening. The Czech player left the apartment to walk her dog and signed the refusal form. The independent tribunal ruled that her explanations offered "no compelling justification," setting the end of the ban at June 21, 2030.

The decision has triggered a wave of solidarity in the women's locker room. Marta Kostyuk, Sorana Cirstea, Sloane Stephens, Paula Badosa, Linda Noskova, Clara Tauson, Anett Kontaveit, Ons Jabeur, Karolina Muchova, Coco Gauff and Eva Lys have publicly expressed their support for the player after her lengthy Instagram post, in which Vondrousova reiterated that she has never doped.

Among the harshest voices is that of Ajla Tomljanovic, who called the ITIA "very arrogant" and "presumptuous," accusing it of acting as though players are guilty regardless. The Australian also pointed the finger at the app used to locate athletes for testing purposes: "It doesn't work half the time, yet if you miss a test it counts as a strike. After three strikes you get suspended." Tomljanovic also criticized the practice of surprise evening tests, saying she understands why someone living alone might not feel safe opening the door to a stranger at night.

Vondrousova, the first unseeded player to win Wimbledon in the Open Era, beating Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in the 2023 final, has not ruled out appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The case comes just months after the controversy over the handling of the Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner cases, and Vondrousova herself stated that the agency wanted to "prove its power" after facing criticism for excessive leniency in those two cases.