‘Tennis is not a clean sport at the moment’, claims ATP star amid Sinner & Swiatek fallout
ATP Tour player Benjamin Lock has claimed that tennis is “not a clean sport at the moment” amid the fallout from Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s failed drug tests.
News that both Sinner and Swiatek, two multiple Grand Slam champions and world No 1’s, had failed drug tests has rocked tennis across the past few months.
Italian Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol in March 2024, with the Australian and US Open winner found to be of “no fault” after successfully claiming contamination.
News of Sinner’s case emerged in August 2024 and was followed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announcing that Swiatek had received a one-month suspension in November.
The ITIA found French Open champion Swiatek to be of “no significant fault” after testing positive for TMZ back in August 2024, with the Pole also successfully claiming contamination.
Response to the ITIA’s rulings and Sinner and Swiatek’s case has been mixed, with Nick Kyrgios among the leading critics of the two players and a perceived lack of transparency with the handling of the cases.
The Australian has himself faced criticism for his comments, though has now been backed by Zimbabwean Lock.
Currently ranked 311th in singles and 157th in doubles, the 31-year-old posted a quote tweet on Twitter/X in support of Kyrgios’ pre-Brisbane International comments concerning doping in tennis.
He wrote: “Cheating, inconsistencies, lack of transparency and public outrage on any player that speaks out. Not a good look for tennis. The locker room has zero respect for all of this. Say what you want but this is not a clean sport at the moment.”
Cheating, inconsistencies, lack of transparency and public outrage on any player that speaks out. Not a good look for tennis. The locker room has zero respect for all of this. Say what you want but this is not a clean sport at the moment ❌ https://t.co/n39WFx1MQL
— Benjamin Lock (@Benjamm1ng) December 29, 2024
ATP Tour News
What happened after Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s failed drug tests? Full explainer
Lock’s comments came in response to Kyrgios’s extraordinary press conference in Brisbane, where the Australian is set to contest an ATP Tour match for the first time since June 2023.
Speaking ahead of his comeback match versus Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the former Wimbledon finalist described Sinner and Swiatek testing positive as “disgusting” for tennis.
He said: “I just think that it’s been handled horrifically in our sport. Two world No 1s both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport. It’s a horrible look.
“The tennis integrity right now, and everyone knows it, but no one wants to speak about it, is awful. It’s not okay.
“I know that people don’t like when I just speak out about things, be honest about things. For a kid that grew up playing tennis, I enjoyed the competition, I enjoyed playing.
“I can get emotional, I can throw a racket, but that’s nothing compared to cheating and taking performance-enhancing drugs. That’s ridiculous in my opinion.”
The ITIA has strenuously denied previous accusations that Swiatek and Sinner’s cases were handled differently and that the pair were handed any preferential treatment.
Speaking to Tennis365, ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse stated every player was subject to the “same rules and same processes”.
“It’s the same rules and the same processes for every player,” said Moorhouse.
“All cases are different and each case turns on individual facts. Cases can also be quite complex, so it isn’t right to look at two headlines and draw comparisons between two cases as the detail is always the key part.”
