London, United Kingdom) – Current 282nd in the world, 18-year-old Czech tennis player Nikola Bartunkova, was provisionally suspended after failing an anti-doping test. The information was released this Thursday by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
According to the entity, Bartunkova’s tests showed the presence of the substance trimetazidine, which falls into the category of hormonal and metabolic modulators, and is therefore prohibited by the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP). The ITIA sent the player a pre-charge notice dated April 16, 2024, based on the terms of TADP article 2.1 (presence of prohibited substance) and/or article 2.2 (use of prohibited substance without a Therapeutic Use Exemption valid).
Bartunkova, whose career best is 226th, achieved last April, tested while competing in an ITF W50 event in Trnava, Slovakia, in February, and also in the W75 in Maribor, Slovenia, in March. . Both samples tested positive for trimetazidine.
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The results collected resulted in a mandatory provisional suspension, with no set end date. Until the case is definitively resolved, the tennis player is prohibited from playing, training or participating in any tennis event.
As a junior tennis player, Nikola Bartunkova reached eighth place in the ITF rankings and won six titles, two of them at J200 level in 2023. In the same year, she was runner-up at Wimbledon, where she had already reached the quarterfinals in the previous season. Other notable results were the Roland Garros semifinal, also in 2022, and the round of 16 at the last US Open.
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