Novak Djokovic has revealed that most tennis players believe there was favouritism in Jannik Sinner’s doping case, as the Serbian star launches a scathing criticism of the sport’s anti-doping system.
The world No 7 disclosed that players he spoke with in the locker room are “not satisfied” with how Sinner’s case was handled.
Speaking at the Qatar Open, Djokovic branded the tennis anti-doping system as “inconsistent” and “very unfair,” calling for urgent changes.
The controversy follows Saturday’s announcement that Sinner will serve a three-month suspension for failing two doping tests in March 2024.
Novak Djokovic hit out at the tennis anti-doping system
Reuters
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) had initially cleared Sinner of wrongdoing, accepting that he bore “no fault or negligence” after testing positive for clostebol at last year’s Indian Wells Masters.
The positive test was attributed to a massage from his former physio, Giacomo Naldi, who had used a spray containing the anabolic steroid to treat a cut on his finger.
WADA subsequently appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in September, seeking a one to two-year ban for the world No 1.
The case was resolved when WADA reached an agreement with Sinner’s legal team for a three-month suspension from February 9 to May 4.
Sinner’s suspension means he has been forced to withdraw from this week’s Qatar Open ATP 500 event.
The Italian star will also miss several prestigious Masters 1000 tournaments, including Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid.
However, the timing of the ban means Sinner will not miss any Grand Slam tournaments.
The 23-year-old will be eligible to return to competition at the Italian Open, which begins just three days after his suspension ends on May 4.
Jannik Sinner accepted a three-month ban last week
Reuters
“Many of them believe there was favouritism,” Djokovic revealed.
“It almost seems like you can influence the result if you are a top player, and if you have access to top lawyers and so on.
The Serbian star expressed particular concern about the disparity in treatment between top-ranked and lower-ranked players.
“Sinner and Swiatek are innocent, it has been proven. Sinner will have a three-month suspension due to some mistakes and negligence of some members of his team, who are working on the tour. This is also something that I personally and many other players find strange,” he said.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Novak Djokovic believes that higher-ranked players have been treated differently to lower-ranked players
PA
The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which Djokovic founded, responded to Sinner’s ban with a strongly-worded message, asserting there is “unacceptable bias” in the sport.
Djokovic highlighted the cases of Simona Halep and Tara Moore as examples of the system’s inconsistency.
“We have seen the cases of Simona Halep and Tara Moore, and other players perhaps less known, who have had difficulties for years to resolve their cases, or who have been suspended for a long time,” he said.
“I think it is really time to do something and address the system, because it is clear that the structure does not work like this,” Djokovic added.