Ajla Tomljanovic hit out at ‘awful’ doping protocols (Image: Getty)
Two-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist Ajla Tomljanovic has taken aim at “cocky” doping officers who she feels are “out to get” the players, following Marketa Vondrousova’s four-year ban for refusing a test. Vondrousova’s suspension was announced on Monday after she opted not to take a test when a doping control officer came to her door last December.
Vondrousova argued that her decision was impacted by stress, poor mental health, and safety concerns, but an independent tribunal ruled that there was “no compelling justification” for refusing the test, and she has been suspended until June 21, 2030. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) says punishments must be this harsh for a refused test so that dopers cannot avoid giving a sample by refusing altogether.
And Tomljanovic, a former world No. 32, who currently sits at No. 98, has now shared her own experience with “awful” doping protocols after being left “angry” with the Vondrousova ruling.
Tennis players provide their whereabouts for a one-hour time slot every day, but they can also be tested randomly, as was the case with Vondrousova late last year, when she refused after a doping control officer arrived at her door one evening. Aussie star Tomljanovic has also had tests outside of her slot, but claimed that it was up to the officer whether they wanted to turn up out of hours.
“They have [come outside of my slot], never at night, but they have,” the 33-year-old told a small group of reporters in Eastbourne, hours after Vondrousova’s ban was announced. “I’m very lucky where I live. I have a really nice lady, and she’s always in my slot. The funny thing is, the guy or woman, I don’t know who it was, but they probably were busy. It’s in their control. They don’t have to test you outside of your slot. I’ve learned that. I’ve spoken to these people.
“Once they have your slot, if they don’t make it, they can just test you the next day. Them coming outside of your slot is just what they’ve decided to do that day. No one told them you have to come. So that’s just to me, to do that at night. I mean, I wouldn’t be comfortable if I’m living alone and someone comes at eight or whenever. Overall, I can count on one hand experiences, good experiences with these people. I think they’re always out to get you. They’re not very nice.”
The Australian also claimed that the whereabouts app often did not work, but players who have three whereabouts failures in a single year – essentially not being where they said they would be when a doping officer arrives – can be suspended.
“It’s kind of a disgrace what’s happened to Marketa. It’s really sad that we’re part of a sport where I think the treatment isn’t equal. Equality is what we strive for. It’s just insane. I hope she appeals. I hope it gets better, but it’s never good when the first ruling is a four-year ban. I just think that the whole ITIA, they’re so cocky. They’re almost out to get you, even if you are doing nothing wrong. The rules don’t make sense,” Tomljanovic said.
Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova has been banned for four years for refusing a test (Image: Getty)
“I can tell you the app doesn’t work half the time. But then if you miss a test, you get a fail, three fails, and you’re done. So it’s like, how do we depend on an app that malfunctions all the time? It doesn’t add up. I’m all for a clean sport, don’t get me wrong. But it has to make sense. When I came onto the circuit, and I was part of the pool, I had a filing deadline that I missed because no one explained [to] me the rules. And now, ten years later, they finally send this thing to all the young players that have to come on it. ‘Okay, let’s do orientation, we’ll show you’. Ten years it took them. And I was two fails for a month, and I was living at my door. We shouldn’t be living like this.
“Also, if that happened, can’t you give another sample the next day? It’s like really… I saw that after my match, and I was just so angry. She doesn’t deserve that. And it’s never really going to change because these people… I’ve spoken to a guy that’s in a position of power. You can see that he just hates almost… He just wants to get anyone for anything. It’s awful.
“I mean, you look at a lot of different cases. The rulings are, what does someone get four years and someone else gets two weeks in the off-season? I don’t know, I’m just asking. And look, I’m not going to sit here and say I’ve read every single case. I haven’t. Four years and a month – it’s a big difference.”
As for the whereabouts app, Tomljanovic continued: “I check it every day before bed. And yeah, it just doesn’t always work. The app just doesn’t always work. And that’s the main thing. Okay, then you have to email the admin. But it’s just stressful because you never know, just because of cases like this, where you don’t feel like they will cooperate with you. So you always feel on edge. You can’t wait to just, once I’m done playing, it’s like this part of my… like I’m in fear all the time just because I see what’s happening.
“I was on two [whereabouts failures] and then I was fearful of a third. The two were really like just crazy miscommunications, you know, and it can happen. They’re always there to help me get these emails. Like, ‘Oh, they’ll be on site to talk’. And it’s like, why, just for me to talk about how bad it is and nothing changes?”
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While the world No. 98 has never refused a test, she has felt close to doing so. “I was once. They came, I was in New York for the Open just two, three days out of the start. And I had a really early practice because I wanted to get on the stadium. And my car was at 7am and I put my slot at 5am just to be sure. I was a bit late for my car. So I exit my door at 7.05 and they’re like walking to my door, the two people. And I go, ‘You’re outside of my slot’. And they’re like, ‘Doesn’t matter. Sorry, like we have to’,” Tomljanovic recalled.
“And I was like, ‘No worries. You’re going to have to come with me because I’m not changing my plans’. And it was a whole thing because they don’t have accreditation. They can’t get in. Because I know also my rules at this point. So I was like, I’m not changing my plans. You got to follow me. I can’t pee now anyway. You’ll wait all practice and then two hours more because there’s like the rule post practice. You can’t give a sample right away. It has to be two hours. Once I got on site, the people for anti-doping were there, from the US Open. And then they were like, ‘Okay, let’s calm down. We’re going to take over’. And then they left, let the people go. So I just had someone follow me for the day, which I got what I wanted. I didn’t miss a practice, but that was my only…
“Obviously, I would. I’m too nervous. Like that was also in the morning. Like I’m too nervous. Obviously, I don’t want to make trouble. So I probably would obey. But I don’t know what she was feeling, the post she’d made about mental health and all that. Like that’s all valid. Maybe she didn’t think, you know, it would be consequences would be that harsh. I also actually didn’t know that if you refuse a test outside of a slot, it’s a four-year ban. So I’ve never gotten close to refusing, but I’ve complained.
“I mean, now, like I’ve finished a match, and they’ve said you have to go there straight away. And I was like, first I’m going to shower. I’m going to stretch. I have an hour. And then it’s gotten to the point where I had to get on the phone right after my match with the guy. And then he’s like, OK, take your hour. It’s like, why are we so aggressive with it? So I’ve had my fair share of moments where it’s just not pleasant with the people that work for them.
Ajla Tomljanovic recalled being tested during her 2022 US Open quarter-final run (Image: Getty)
“Like the year I made quarters of US Open, I was tested three times in two weeks. Once outside of my slot, once after a win, and then obviously after I lost in the quarters. And I took my time because I couldn’t go to the bathroom, and I go back in after three hours. I checked in once or twice to tell her, like, listen, I can’t go. And she goes to me, and she’s like, ‘Listen, Ajla, you’re a nice girl, but this what you’re doing now is too much’. And I was like, what happened? ‘I know what you’re doing. We have a guy for that has to take your blood and he has to go home and you’re just taking your time to like spite them because we’ve tested you already twice. And this is your third time’.
“I usually know the people, and I didn’t know this girl. And I was like, listen, I don’t have time to spite you. I just lost in the quarters. I want to be out of here. But just the way she came at me, and I went back in there. She apologised right away. The nerve to even speak to an athlete that way shows me how much power they feel that they have. So I just I try not to be rude, but I’m like… I had a lovely lady in Paris, God, if everyone was like you, she was amazing. She was a pastor. They’re not all bad, but they’re the minority, for sure.”
In response, an ITIA spokesperson said: “This case – unfortunate as it is for the individual – should make it clear that players can and will be tested outside of their allocated hour. Everyone wants a clean sport and to achieve this we need to have a strong testing programme which must be unpredictable.
“We know this can be challenging for players. Having someone in your home or hotel room to watch you pee is stressful. We believe most of our testers deal with this in a respectful way, but they too have a challenging and not always pleasant job. We would encourage any player who has questions about the process, or issues with a tester to talk to us. We will always listen to any concerns or feedback.
“There are set rules in anti-doping which cover multiple sports, not just tennis and we apply those rules fairly, based on facts and evidence. We regularly hold sessions online and at tournaments to explain the rules, help players navigate the system and make the right decisions and players can contact us anytime with questions.”
Express Sport has contacted WADA for comment.