Marketa Vondrousova appeals four-year doping suspension to CAS

Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova has appealed her four-year doping suspension to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the international body confirmed on Monday.

“CAS can confirm an appeal,” a spokeswoman told AFP when asked about the Czech star, who won the 2023 Wimbledon title. Vondrousova was sanctioned by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after refusing to take an out-of-competition doping test in December 2025.

A hearing date has not yet been confirmed, although CAS proceedings typically take place within several months of an appeal being filed.

The hearing is expected to be held behind closed doors unless Vondrousova requests a public hearing, which is extremely rare. A final decision would then be expected several months later.

The ITIA previously said Vondrousova failed to open the door when an anti-doping officer arrived at her home.

Her suspension is scheduled to run until June 21, 2030, and she has not competed on the WTA Tour since January.

As a result of her absence, Vondrousova has dropped from the world’s top 50 to No. 153.

Vondrousova initially responded to the suspension by insisting that she had “never doped.” In April, the 27-year-old explained that she became frightened when the officer rang her doorbell without properly identifying themselves or following what she believed were the correct procedures.

Tennis players are required to provide their whereabouts for a designated hour each day so anti-doping authorities can carry out testing outside competition.

Vondrousova said her reaction was partly influenced by the 2016 knife attack on her compatriot and fellow former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova at Kvitova’s home.

“In that moment, fear clouded my judgement and I just couldn’t process the situation rationally,” Vondrousova said.

“After what happened to Petra, we don’t take strangers at our door lightly.”

Last month, an independent tribunal ruled that Vondrousova had provided “no compelling justification” for refusing the test. The tribunal also noted that she had taken her dog for a walk around 10 minutes after the failed test attempt.

The tribunal described the incident as an unfortunate decision made “in the heat of the moment”, while Vondrousova was under stress and anxiety, but said it nevertheless carried significant consequences.

‘Harsh’ punishment

American world No. 3 Jessica Pegula previously described Vondrousova’s suspension as “harsh”, comparing it with the shorter bans handed to Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek in separate doping cases.

“I just don’t think that’s fair. I think the sentencing is so harsh,” Pegula said at Wimbledon in June.

Sinner accepted a three-month suspension last year after reaching an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 2024.

The Italian world No. 1 had tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol, but an independent tribunal initially cleared him after determining that he was not to blame for the violation.

Meanwhile, six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek served a one-month suspension in 2024 after testing positive for a banned substance.

“So I don’t quite understand the difference between that and then obviously what happened with Sinner and Iga. They justified what the rules were and why it was the way it was,” Pegula said.

Vondrousova reached a career-high ranking of No. 6 two months after her Wimbledon triumph in 2023.

She also reached the 2019 French Open final and won a singles silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.