Tomljanovic, about the sanction to Vondrousova: "The ITIA is very arrogant"

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Reactions have not been delayed two days after one of the toughest sanctions by the ITIA came to light. The tennis anti-doping agency has punished Marketa Vondrousova, champion of Wimbledon 2023, with a four-year ban from competition for refusing to undergo a doping test at the end of 2025.

The Czech player argued at the time that her decision was influenced by stress, mental health issues, and security concerns, but an independent tribunal ruled that there was no compelling justification for refusing the test. The player opened up in a heartfelt letter, but for now, it is unknown if she intends to appeal the decision.

Meanwhile, Vondrousova has received support from the majority of her peers. Dozens of them have shown their solidarity through social media, but others, like Alja Tomljanovic have gone a step further. The Australian spoke to a small group of journalists during her participation in the WTA Eastbourne and did not hesitate to express her anger over everything that happened with the Czech player.

Alja Tomljanovic strongly criticized the ITIA following the sanction against Marketa Vondrousova

"It's a shame what happened to Marketa. It's very sad that we are part of a sport where I believe the treatment is not equal. Equality is what we seek. It's crazy. I hope she appeals. I hope it gets better, but it's never good when the first sanction is a four-year suspension. I think the whole ITIA is very arrogant. They practically hound you, even if you haven't done anything wrong. The rules make no sense," stated the WTA World No. 98, in comments reported by the Daily Express.

Furthermore, the Australian confessed that ITIA officials have shown up at her home outside of established hours on more than one occasion: "They have come outside my schedule, never at night, but they have. I'm lucky where I live. I have a very kind lady, and she's always on schedule. It's odd that the man or woman, I don't know who it was, but they were probably busy. It's in their hands. They don't have to test you outside your schedule. I've learned from it and already talked to these people."

An independent tribunal has suspended Czech tennis player Markéta Vondroušová for four years under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme.

The tribunal determined that the player provided "no compelling justification" for refusing a test in December 2025.

🔗 https://t.co/lVevnzW0Sh pic.twitter.com/Vk65FlQn9P

— International Tennis Integrity Agency (@itia_tennis) June 22, 2026

She also did not hide her anger with the ITIA and its ways of working: "Once they have your appointment, if they don't attend to you, they can test you the next day. Coming outside your schedule is simply what they decided to do that day. No one told them you had to come. So, for me, doing it at night is unacceptable. I mean, I wouldn't feel comfortable living alone and having someone come at eight or any time. Overall, I can count on one hand the good experiences I've had with these people. I think they are always conspiring against you. They are not very kind."

Finally, Tomljanovic criticized the app through which the ITIA operates and monitors the players, calling for a change to a more efficient model: "I can tell you the app doesn't work half the time. But if you miss a test, you get a fail, three fails, and you're out. So how can we depend on an app that fails all the time? It makes no sense. I am in favor of a clean sport, don't get me wrong. But it has to make sense. When I entered the circuit and became part of the group, I had a registration deadline that I missed because no one explained the rules to me. We shouldn't live like this," concludes Alja Tomjlanovic, expressing the sentiments of the majority of the circuit regarding ITIA practices, which, although necessary to preserve clean play in the sport, should have more transparency and flexibility.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Tomljanovic, sobre la sanción a Vondrousova: "Toda la ITIA es muy arrogante"