Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova opened up about her mental health battles on Friday, revealing she suffered an Acute Stress Reaction during a doping control incident.
Vondrousova, who won the Wimbledon title in 2023, said the December incident occurred because she had “reached a breaking point after months of physical and mental stress.”
In December, Vondrousova described a “serious intrusion into my privacy” from a doping control officer who arrived at 8:15 pm demanding an immediate test.
Tennis players are required to log their whereabouts for an allotted hour each day with anti-doping authorities so they can be tested outside of competition, although tests can also occur outside these set windows.
“It is very tough for me to talk about this, but I want to be transparent with you about my mental health,” 26-year-old Vondrousova wrote on Instagram. “The recent doping control incident happened because I reached a breaking point after months of physical and mental stress.”
“For a long time, I’ve 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.
“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.”
Vondrousova has not played a tournament since the Adelaide International in January and withdrew from the Australian Open citing a shoulder injury. However, she is on the entry list for the Madrid Open, which runs from 21 April to 3 May.
She revealed that experts confirmed she suffered an Acute Stress Reaction and Generalised Anxiety Disorder, adding: “In that moment, fear clouded my judgment and I just couldn’t process the situation rationally.”
Vondrousova referred to twice Wimbledon champion and compatriot Petra Kvitova, who suffered severe wounds to her playing left hand when she was attacked by an intruder at her home in 2016.
“After what happened to Petra, we don’t take strangers at our door lightly,” Vondrousova added.
“I’m trying to slowly find my way back — both on and off the court … I’m still working to clear my name, but at the same time I need to take care of myself.”
Several players including Vondrousova’s compatriot Linda Noskova and Ons Jabeur, who she defeated in the 2023 Wimbledon final, commented their support, with German player Eva Lys writing, “sending much love”.
The Instagram account for the Berlin Open, which Vondrousova won last year, wrote: “We’ll miss you on court but your mental health and healing always comes first! Take all the time you need and we wish you all the best!”
Reuters has contacted the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for comment.
Reuters
