Nikola Bartunkova Cleared to Compete After Ban

Nikola Bartunkova, the 2023 Wimbledon girls' singles runner-up, has been cleared to compete after accepting a six-month doping ban due to unknowingly ingesting trimetazidine, a banned substance linked to a contaminated supplement. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined that Bartunkova did not intentionally violate doping regulations and bore no significant fault or negligence. Consequently, her results between her first positive test in February and the suspension in April have been voided, except for one negative test result at a Czech event. The ban was officially accepted, allowing Bartunkova to resume her professional career after a provisional suspension that lasted throughout the ban. She had reached a career-high ranking of 226 prior to the incident and is now eligible to participate in WTA events. Bartunkova previously made headlines by defeating world number 21 Dayana Yastremska and reaching the Wimbledon juniors final against Clervie Ngounoue.