Novak Djokovic breaks silence on Jannik Sinner doping ban with ‘very unfair’ statement
Novak Djokovic has revealed most players he has spoken to about Jannik Sinner’s doping ban are “not satisfied” and “believe there was favouritism.”
The Serbian legend branded the tennis anti-doping system “inconsistent” and “very unfair” as he called for change.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) revealed on Saturday that Sinner had been suspended from tennis for three months for failing two doping tests in March 2024.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in August that Sinner would not face a ban as he carried “no fault or negligence” after testing positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol during and after last year’s Indian Wells Masters.
An independent tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the substance had entered his body when receiving a massage from his former physio, Giacomo Naldi, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his finger.
However, WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the verdict in September as they sought to impose a ban of between one and two years on the world No 1.
The appeal was set to be heard at CAS in April, but WADA confirmed it had reached an agreement with Sinner’s legal team for the Italian to serve a suspension from February 9 to May 4.
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The three-time major winner was forced to withdraw from this week’s Qatar Open ATP 500 event, and he will also miss Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid.
The 23-year-old will not, however, miss any Grand Slams, and he will be able to compete at the Italian Open, which begins three days after his ban expires.
The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), a players’ union founded by Djokovic, responded to Sinner’s ban with a strongly-worded message and asserted that there is “unacceptable bias” in the sport.
Speaking in his pre-tournament press conference at the Qatar Open, Djokovic spoke for the first time since Sinner’s case was resolved.
“I spoke with several players in the locker room, not only in the last few days but also in the previous months,” the world No 7 divulged. “Most of them are not satisfied with how the whole process has gone, and they don’t think it’s fair.
“Many of them believe there was favouritism. 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.
“Sinner and [Iga] 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.”
The 37-year-old continued: “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.
“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.
“So yes, it is inconsistent and it seems very unfair to me, and that is all I have to say about it.
“We will see what happens in the near future, if the whole case will attract more attention and can shed light on other cases of lower-level players. And we have to keep in mind that Sinner and Swiatek, at the time, were number 1 in the world.”
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