Nikola Bartunkova Can Play After Serving Six-Month Suspension

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, November 14, 2024
Photo credit: Flaviu Buboi/Nur Photos/GettyNikola Bartunkova can return to tennis now.The 2023 Wimbledon girls' finalist accepted a six-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in February and March.More: TC Suspends Jon WertheimThe International Tennis Integrity Agency announced today the Czech player bore "no significant fault or negligence" for the unintentional anti-doping violation. Bartunkova became eligible to return to tennis on November 11th.The 18-year-old Bartunkova reached a career-high singles ranking of 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, that the violation was not intentional, and that the player bore no significant fault or negligence," the ITIA said in a statement.After investigation, Bartunkova told the ITIA on October 27th that a contaminated supplement was the source of the trimetazidine found in her sample.In response, the ITIA 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.Following an interview with Bartunkova, the ITIA accepted that the violation was not intentional and that the she bore "No Significant Fault or Negligence" for the anti-doping violation.The Czech teenager is currently ranked No. 488 and has earned $84,031 in career prize money.]]>