Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova insisted she “never doped” after an anti-doping watchdog had banned her from tennis for four years on Monday.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) blames the 26-year-old Czech for failing to open the door to an anti-doping officer in December 2025.
The 2023 Wimbledon winner claimed in April she was scared when the officer rang the bell “without properly identifying themselves or following protocol”.
“I have never doped. I have never had a positive test,” she said on Instagram late on Monday.
“Throughout my entire career, I have undergone countless anti-doping controls and have always stepped onto the court with a clear conscience.
“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.”
Her lawyer Jan Exner told AFP on Monday they would consider an appeal but refused to elaborate.
An independent tribunal dealing with Vondrousova’s case ruled the evidence offered “no compelling justification” for the world number 122 to refuse the test.