Czech tennis player handed six-month ban after testing positive for prohibited substance

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has announced that Czech tennis player Nikola Bartunkova will serve a six-month suspension under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine in February and March 2024.

The 18-year old provided positive samples while competing at an ITF W50 event in Trnava, Slovakia, in February 2024, and an ITF W75 event in Maribor, Slovenia, in March 2024. The Czech player reached a career-high ranking of World No.226 in April 2024.

Following an investigation, the ITIA accepted that the positive tests for trimetazidine were caused by the contamination of a supplement containing milk thistle extract. After an interview with the Czech player, the violation was deemed not intentional and it was decided Bartunkova was not at fault in this situation.

In accordance with similar cases under the World Anti-Doping Code and considering the nature of the substance and circumstances relating to the player, the ITIA offered a six-month suspension to Bartunkova. In addition, his results between the first positive test (28 February 2024) and the date of his provisional suspension (16 April 2024) are disqualified - with the exception of a first-round result at the W75 event held in Říčany, Czechia in March 2024, he returned a negative sample.

Bartunkova accepted this sanction. Time served under provisional suspension is credited against the period of ineligibility. As such, Bartunkova is free to play from the date of the written decision, which fell on November 11 2024.