The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) today confirms that Czech tennis player Nikola Bartunkova has accepted a six-month suspension under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine in February and March 2024. 18-year-old Bartunkova reached a career-high world singles ranking of 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, that the violation was not intentional, and that the player bore no significant fault or negligence.
Bartunkova 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 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)) and the Player has been provisionally suspended since this date.
After investigation, Bartunkova notified the ITIA on 27 October 2024 that they had identified a contaminated supplement as the source of the trimetazidine found in their sample. The ITIA subsequently instructed the independent and WADA-accredited Sports Medicine Research & Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) in Utah, USA, to test the supplement. These findings were confirmed, and the scenario was verified by an independent scientific expert as plausible.
As such, and following an interview with the player, the ITIA accepted that the violation was not intentional and that the player bore ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’.
On 11 November 2024, following precedent for 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, the player’s results between the first positive test (28 February 2024) and the date of the player’s 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, where the player returned a negative sample. The player 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 (11 November 2024).
The ITIA is an independent body established by its tennis members to promote, encourage, enhance, and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis events worldwide.
The full written decision is available to read by clicking here.
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Published 14 November 2024 12:00
