Tennis star Novak Djokovic sees a lack of transparency and a perceived double standard in high-profile doping cases, saying players have been “kept in the dark” over Jannik Sinner’s situation.
Djokovic spoke Sunday, a day after Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios said that cases involving current No. 1 Sinner and former women’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek for breaching the anti-doping program were “disgusting for our sport; It’s a horrible look.”
Kyrgios and Djokovic are in Brisbane, Australia, for the Brisbane International this week, and they are doubles partners.
“I’m not questioning whether (Sinner) took the banned substance intentionally or not,” Djokovic said at a press conference on Sunday. “We’ve had plenty of players in the past and currently under suspension for not even testing positive to banned substances.
“Some players with lower rankings waiting for their case to be resolved for over a year,” the Serbian said. “I’ve been really frustrated as (have) most of the other players to see we’ve been kept in the dark for at least five months (on the Sinner case).”
Sinner of Italy twice tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol in March but explained it was unintentional contamination during a massage by his physiotherapist, who had used a first-aid cream on a cut on his own hand.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency ruled that Sinner was not at fault. The World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and Sinner could be banned up to two years.
Swiatek of Poland tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine and accepted a one-month suspension in November. She said it was due to contamination from her sleep medication.
“The ATP hasn’t really talked in depth about it. Why have they kept that case away from the public? We see Simona Halep‘s case on the WTA Tour, now Iga Swiatek’s case,” said Djokovic, 37. “It’s not a good image for our sport.
“I’m just questioning the way the system works and why certain players aren’t treated the same as others. Maybe some ranking reasons are behind it, or some players have more financial backing and stronger legal teams to tackle these cases.”
Djokovic, who will pursue a record 25th major title next month at the Australian Open, said in the 20-plus years that he’s played professional tennis that it is “one of the cleanest sports.” Djokovic said that he’s known Sinner, 23, since he was very young and doesn’t think he would intentionally use a banned substance.
“The issue is the inconsistency and the transparency,” Djokovic said.
–Field Level Media
