Czech tennis talent Nikola Bartunkova was temporarily suspended by ITIA for doping

The 18-year-old Czech tennis player Nikola Bartunkova, who is Wimbledon Junior finalist, was temporarily suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for doping.

“The ITIA sent the player a pre-charge notice of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation on 16 April 2024 under Article 2.1 of the TADP (presence of a Prohibited Substance in a Player’s Sample) and/or Article 2.2 (Use of a Prohibited Substance without a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE)”, says the official statement of the ITIA.

The agency announced that Nikola Bartunkova had tested positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine at ITF W50 tournaments in Trnava, Slovakia, in February 2024, and an ITF W75 event in Maribor, Slovenia, in March 2024.

The drug, known as TMZ, was found in the samples of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva in 2021 and 23 Chinese swimmers as they prepared for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Last year, Nikola Bartunkova lost to Clervie Ngounoue (USA) in the final of the Wimbledon girls’ competition. She reached the singles semifinals and the doubles final at the 2022 French Open Girls’ Championship. The Czech tennis player is WTA No 282.

Nikola Bartunkova has been suspended from all tennis events pending a hearing before the ITIA.