Vondrousova appeals doping suspension to CAS

Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova has appealed against her four-year doping suspension to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the international body said on Monday. "CAS can confirm an appeal," a spokeswoman told AFP when asked about the Czech 2023 Wimbledon champion, who was sanctioned by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for refusing to take an out-of-competition doping test in December 2025. A hearing date has not yet been set, but proceedings typically take place in the months following the appeal. It would be held behind closed doors unless Vondrousova requests a public hearing -- a very rare occurrence -- with the final ruling issued several months later. The ITIA said that Vondrousova had failed to open the door to an anti-doping officer. Her suspension is due to run until June 21, 2030, and she has not played on the WTA Tour since January. Vondrousova has slipped from inside the world's top 50 to number 153 in her absence. Vondrousova initially responded to the ban by saying she had "never doped". The 27-year-old claimed in April that she was scared when the officer rang the bell "without properly identifying themselves or following protocol". Players are required to log their whereabouts for an allotted hour each day so that authorities can conduct anti-doping tests outside of competition. She has said that her fear was partly due to the knife attack on her compatriot and fellow former Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova at her home in 2016. "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 she had provided "no compelling justification" for refusing a test, noting she had taken her dog for a walk 10 minutes later. "This is a very unfortunate manner in which the player made a decision in the heat of the moment to refuse doping control, in a state of stress and anxiety, with significant consequences," the tribunal said. 'Harsh' punishment American world number three Jessica Pegula called the suspension "harsh", comparing it to the far lighter punishments handed out to Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek. "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 ban last year after reaching an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 2024. The Italian men's world number one had tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol, before being cleared by an independent tribunal who determined he was not to blame. Six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek took a one-month ban 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 has a career high ranking of sixth, two months after her Wimbledon triumph three years ago. She also reached the 2019 French Open final and won a singles silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.