Why Marketa Vondrousova Got a Four-Year Ban

The 2023 Wimbledon champion was handed a steep penalty; Sabalenka and Pegula reacted.

LONDON (Gatwick), England — A story that had been quietly hovering over women’s tennis for months landed with a loud thud on Monday afternoon, as 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was handed a steep four-year ban by the independent tribunal convened for a trial initiated by the International Tennis Integrity Agency.

Vondrousova, 26, had refused an anti-doping test when a tester came to her in the Czech Republic one evening last December. Vondrousova offered several reasons why she did not take the nighttime test, but the panel ruled she had “no compelling justification.”

Marketa Vondrousova at the 2023 U.S. Open. (Photo by Hameltion)

We don’t know everything yet; the full judgment has not yet been published. The abridged announcement of this decision seems to have been fast-tracked to land before Wimbledon, in which Vondrousova had entered. (Wimbledon, in an amusingly typical understatement, listed the reason for her withdrawal today as “change of eligibility.”)

But we do know a good deal, and I spoke with both WTA No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 4 Jessica Pegula about the looming case last week in Berlin, so you can read their thoughts on the case below…if you’re a Bounces subscriber.

“I feel like four years seems really, really tough for something that was possibly miscommunication.” —Jessica Pegula

For a rundown of what we know about the Vondrousova case, and the full answers those top stars gave Bounces, please subscribe! -Ben