“I can’t support my boyfriend” – Marketa Vondrousova opens up on emotional toll of doping ban amid de*th threats from…
“I can’t support my boyfriend” – Marketa Vondrousova opens up on emotional toll of doping ban amid death threats from bettors
Marketa Vondrousova recently opened up about the emotional toll of her doping ban. The Czech tennis star revealed that her ban stops her from supporting her boyfriend at tournaments and shared that she still receives regular death threats from bettors.
In December 2025, Vondrousova refused a doping test when an official arrived at her house at night. The former Wimbledon champion argued that her refusal was due to anxiety and fears about her safety, but the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) suspended her for four years.
Recently, Marketa Vondrousova opened up about the ways her ban affects her life away from tennis, writing on Instagram,
“I can’t compete in tournaments, practice at my tennis club, or use its training facilities. But the ban doesn’t just affect my career. It also affects my personal life and relationships. Most of my friends are part of the tennis world, and suddenly I can’t even go and watch them play or support them the way I’ve always been used to.”
She shared that she can’t support her boyfriend at tournaments, even as a regular spectator, writing,
“My boyfriend is also a professional tennis player, so tennis is naturally a big part of both our lives. But because of my ban, I can’t go to his tournaments to support him, not even as a regular spectator without accreditation. And because we want to spend as much time together as possible, I still travel with him. But while he’s playing, I’m sitting in a hotel room watching his matches on a screen, instead of being there by the court cheering him on.”
In a separate picture shared on her Instagram story, Marketa Vondrousova revealed the death threats she has been receiving from bettors, writing,
“Not even playing and still getting the full experience.”
Under the rules of her doping ban, Vondrousova is still subject to regular testing. The Czech star’s ban runs till June 21, 2030 and it remains to be seen what a comeback by the 27-year-old looks like.
