A Wimbledon champion and an Olympic silver medalist, Vondrousova is considered one of the most talented players on the women’s tennis circuit. Yet, she hasn’t been able to showcase her skills for the past four months.
Her last appearance on court was in Melbourne at the season’s first Grand Slam. She won her opening match against Liudmila Samsonova, but then withdrew from the tournament.
"I’m truly sorry I had to pull out of the Australian Open due to ongoing shoulder issues. After everything I’ve been through, I have to put my health first, even though this decision wasn’t easy," she said in a statement at the time.
Her break from singles has now stretched to four months, although she did play doubles for the national team at the BJK Cup tournament in Switzerland during this period.
But Vondrousova is also dealing with other challenges. According to iSport sources, a doping control officer visited her last December, but Vondrousova refused to comply because the officer arrived outside the scheduled time slot.
"It is very tough for me to talk about this, but I want to be transparent with you about my mental health.
The recent doping control incident happened because I reached a breaking point after months of psychic and mental stress.
"For a long time, I have been dealing with injury, constant pressure, and ongoing sleep issues that left me feeling exhausted and fragile. It slowly wore me down more than I probably realised at the time," Vondrousova wrote in a statement on Instagram.
"On top of that, years of hateful messages and threats have affected how safe I feel in my own space.
When someone rang my door late at night without properly identifying themselves or following protocol, I reacted as a person who felt scared. In that moment, it was about feeling safe, not about avoiding anything," she explained.
"Experts confirmed I suffered an Acute Stress Reaction (F.43.0) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder (F41.1). In that moment, fear clouded my judgement, and I just couldn’t process the situation rationally. After what happened to Petra, we don’t take strangers at our door lightly," she added, referring to the 2016 attack on fellow Czech Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.
Most recently, Vondrousova withdrew from the tournament in Rouen, France, and her break may continue for some time, even though she’s entered in the Madrid event.
"Im trying to slowly find my way back - both on and off the court. Tennis has always been my world, but right now I’m also focusing on healing and getting through this in the best way I can," she said about her current state.
"I'm still working to clear my name, but at the same time, I need to take care of myself. Thank you to my boyfriend, my family, and everyone who has stood by me - it means more than I can explain. For now, im taking a bit of time to breathe and recover," she concluded.
Anti-doping chief: Officers encouraged to visit after hours
According to reports, her alleged doping violation is expected to be addressed in court in June. She faces a possible suspension of up to four years, which could potentially end her career.
Martin Cizek, head of the Czech anti-doping agency, acknowledges that such situations do occur: "WADA wants to be more effective, and one of the current trends is to test more intelligently and investigate more thoroughly. Officers are encouraged to test athletes outside of competitions and to be stricter.
"‘Catch them, go to their homes,’ the organisation’s leadership urges, advising officers to visit even outside the listed time slots, which increases the chances of detecting banned substances," he explained on the Flashscore's Livesport Daily podcast.