Wimbledon girls nalist suspended at 18 for doping
LOndon—wimbledon girls finalist Nikola Bartunkova was provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency for doping on ursday.
The agency said the 18-yearold Czech player tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine at tournaments in Trnava, Slovakia, and Maribor, Slovenia, in February and March, respectively.
The medication, known as TMZ, also was found in high-profile positive tests given in 2021 by Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva and 23 Chinese swimmers who were preparing for the Tokyo Olympics.
Bartunkova was beaten by Clervie Ngounoue in last year’s Wimbledon girls singles final. She also reached the singles semifinals and the doubles final at the 2022 Junior French Open. She is ranked 282nd. Bartunkova is banned from all sanctioned tennis events pending an ITIA hearing.
Paula Badosa, meanwhile, said she and Stefanos Tsitsipas are no longer a love match.
The tennis power couple has broken up.
Badosa wrote on social media recently that the pair “decided to amicably part ways” after being a couple since last year.
“We have shared a journey filled with love and learning, and it is as friends with immense mutual respect that we now choose to move forward on our own paths,” Badosa posted. “We are grateful for the support of our friends, family, and all who have been part of our story. As we transition into this new chapter of our lives, we continue to wish each other nothing but the best in all our endeavors.”
Badosa is a 26-year-old who was born in New York City but represents Spain and has been ranked as high as No. 2. She is currently No. 101 after a series of injuries that have limited her tournament appearances lately.
Her record is 6-9 this season. The best Grand Slam showing of Badosa’s career was a run to the quarterfinals at the 2021 French Open.
Tsitsipas is a 25-year-old from Greece who has been ranked as high as No. 3 and is now No. 7—he was twice a finalist at Grand Slam tournaments, finishing as the runner-up to 24-time major title winner Novak Djokovic both times—at the 2021 French Open and at the 2023 Australian Open.