Novak Djokovic has said that the majority of players he has spoken with concerning Jannik Sinner's drug punishment are "not satisfied" and "believe there was favouritism." The Serbian icon labelled the tennis anti-doping system "inconsistent" and "very unfair" as he appealed for reform. The World Anti-drug Agency (WADA) said on Saturday that Sinner has been suspended from tennis for three months after failing two drug tests in March 2024.
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Novak Djokovic On Jannik Sinner's Ban
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in August that Sinner would not face a penalty since he tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol during and after last year's Indian Wells Masters with "no fault or negligence."
An independent tribunal accepted Sinner's claim that the chemical entered his body during a massage from his former physio, Giacomo Naldi, who had used a steroid spray to treat a cut on his finger.
However, WADA filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in September, seeking a one- to two-year penalty on the world number one.
The appeal was scheduled to be heard by CAS in April, but WADA announced that it has reached an agreement with Sinner's legal team for the Italian to serve a suspension from February 9 to May 4.
The three-time major winner has been forced to withdraw from this week's Qatar Open ATP 500, as well as Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid.
The 23-year-old will not miss any Grand Slam tournaments, and he will be eligible to compete in the Italian Open, which begins three days after his ban expires.
The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), a players' union created by Djokovic, responded to Sinner's ban with a forceful message, claiming "unacceptable bias" in the sport.
Djokovic gave his first pre-tournament press conference at the Qatar Open since Sinner's lawsuit 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.”