From a six-month ban to the top 50 of world tennis
In short: Nikola Bartůňková's rise in professional tennis is a study in resilience. After a 2024 anti-doping suspension for a contaminated supplement, the Czech teenager navigated a grueling comeback to secure her first top-10 win and break into the world's elite rankings by 2026.
In November 2024, the Czech tennis player faced a significant career hurdle when she was issued a six-month competition ban. The suspension followed a positive test for trimetazidine (TMZ) at two events in early 2024. However, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined the violation was due to a contaminated supplement, concluding that Bartůňková bore "no significant fault or negligence" for the ingestion. The ban was backdated to April 2024. She was provisionally suspended from May 2024 until the investigation finished.
Following her hiatus, Bartůňková's 2025 season was defined by rapid progression. She claimed her fourth career title at the W35 in Sunderland and secured a W75 title in Hechingen in July. During the Guadalajara 125 Open in September, she secured a wildcard spot to achieve her initial WTA Tour main-draw quarterfinal appearance, climbing into the top 200 for the first time. She reached world No. 144 on 15 September 2025. She reached a semifinal in Oslo in January. She also played in the Samsun Open in October.
Her momentum accelerated into 2026. At the Australian Open, she achieved a major milestone by defeating former top-10 player Daria Kasatkina and securing her first top-10 victory over Belinda Bencic. By March 30, 2026, she entered the top 100 at No. 95, becoming only the fourth player born in 2006 to reach that milestone. She continued this ascent, reaching a career-high singles ranking of No. 34 on September 14, 2026, after also making her debut at the WTA 1000 level in Italy. She reached the last 16 of a WTA 1000 in Italy. She also played in the Birmingham Open on grass.
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