Carlos Alcaraz makes ‘complicated’ admission over Jannik Sinner anti-doping saga
Carlos Alcaraz has made it clear that he “believes in a clean sport” following the Jannik Sinner failed drug tests controversy while Novak Djokovic called for “clear protocols for standardised approaches to these kinds of cases”.
Sinner twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol at the Indian Wells Open in March and he was provisionally suspended from playing, but on both occasions he filed urgent appeals and the suspensions were left.
The failed doping tests only came to light this week when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared the Italian of any wrongdoing as his positive test was “as a result of contamination from a support team member, who had been applying an over-the-counter spray (available in Italy) containing clostebol to their own skin to treat a small wound”.
Sinner was stripped of the points and prize money he earned at Indian Wells, but the fact that he wasn’t provisionally banned while the investigation was still ongoing has left many people unimpressed as several players have in the past been suspended.
Alcaraz was asked for his thoughts on the matter and he steered clear of saying anything controversial.
“It’s a really difficult moment for him, that’s for sure. It is complicated. I mean, I’m not gonna lie, it is complicated,” the world No 3 said.
“But obviously what I can say? I mean, in English it’s going to be difficult for me to explain myself, but I try. Well, I believe in a clean sport.
“So I don’t know too much about that. You know, I am pretty sure that there are a lot of things that we don’t know, you know, inside the team or inside, you know, everything.
“But if they let Jannik keep playing, it’s for something, they said he’s innocent. So that’s all I know and that’s all I can talk about.”
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Tennis great Djokovic, who is the founder of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), feels the sport needs to do better to make sure all players receive the same treatment.
“As far as Jannik’s case, you know, as I said, these kind of instances are the very reason that why we founded PTPA that is always advocating for fair protocols, clear protocols for standardised approaches to these kind of cases,” the 24-time Grand Slam winner said.
“I understand the frustration of the players is there because of lack of consistency. As I understood, his case was cleared the moment basically it was announced. But, you know, I think five or six months passed since the news was brought to him and his team.
“So, yeah, there is a lot of issues in the system. We see lack of standardised and clear protocols. I can understand the sentiments of a lot of players that are questioning whether they are treated the same.
“Hopefully the governing bodies of our sport will be able to learn from this case and have a better approach for the future. I think collectively there has to be a change, and I think that’s obvious.
“Many players – without naming any of them – I’m sure you know already who these players are, have had similar or same, pretty much the same cases, where they haven’t had the same outcome, and now the question is whether it is a case of the funds, whether a player can afford to pay a significant amount of money for a law firm that would then more efficiently represent his or her case.
“I don’t know. Is that a case or not? That’s something really I feel like we have to collectively investigate more, to look into the system and understand how these cases don’t happen, meaning not the case itself, but how we can standardise everything so that every player, regardless of his ranking or status or profile, is able to get the same kind of treatment.
“So, yeah, I would say that’s probably the overall, I guess, my opinion and observation of this entire case of what we have been reading and observing and talking about the last few days.”
