Novak Djokovic laments 'favouritism' in tennis anti-doping policy after Jannik Sinner ban

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Novak Djokovic is among the players to criticise the way tennis handles doping cases, accusing the authorities of "favouritism" in its approach to top players. The Serb spoke at length on the settlement reached between world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and WADA, who had appealed an independent tribunal's decision to clear the Italian of wrongdoing over two positive tests for clostebol last year.

Jannik Sinner of Italy and Novak Djokovic of Serbia after the Men's Singles final match on Day 14 of 2024 Shanghai Rolex Masters at Qi Zhong Tennis Centre on October 13, 2024 in Shanghai, China.

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Novak Djokovic has added his name to the chorus of tennis players criticising the sport's approach to doping cases, questioning perceived "favouritism" towards the top players.

The world No. 7 criticised the handling of Jannik Sinner's case in particular. The Italian reached a settlement with WADA earlier this month over two failed drug tests for the banned substance clostebol.

Sinner agreed to a three-month ban from competition. WADA accepted that Sinner, the world No. 1, "did not intend to cheat", with the suspension imposed instead for negligence.

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Djokovic, speaking ahead of the ATP tournament in Doha this week, singled out Sinner's case and that of women's No. 2 Iga Swiatek, who was given a one-month ban for a positive trimetazidine test last year.

"It's not a good image for our sport, that's for sure," Djokovic said.

"There is a consensus, or I would say a majority of the players that I've talked to in the locker room, not just in the last few days, but also the last few months, they are not happy with the way this whole process has been handled.

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"The majority of the players don't feel that it's fair. The majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening.

"It seems like it appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers and whatnot.

"We have to choose. The inconsistency is something that frustrates all the players.

"It’s like, if you are going to treat every case individually or independently, which is what's happening, then there is no consistency, then there is no transparency. Some cases are transparent, some are not."

Djokovic did not question the pair's innocence, but he - and many other players on social media - compared the favourable treatment of Sinner and Swiatek with that of other players, who had endured lengthy bans from competition for doping offences.

British player Tara Moore missed two years due to a doping ban, which was later overturned, with her saga still ongoing. The International Tennis Integrity Agency challenged an independent panel's ruling of "no fault or negligence", which allowed her suspension to be overturned.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep was another to endure a lengthy ban, initially four years and then reduced to nine months, for a positive roxadustat test and irregularities in her biological passport.

"Simona Halep and Tara Moore and some other players that are maybe less known, that have been struggling to resolve their cases for years or have got the ban for years," Djokovic continued.

"Right now it's a ripe time for us to really address the system, because the system and the structure obviously doesn't work with anti-doping.

"I hope that in the near future the governing bodies are going to come together, of our Tours and the tennis ecosystem, and try to find a more effective way to to deal with these processes.

"There is a kind of vague rule that I read that within a reasonable time you have to provide information where you've got [the] contaminated substance. And he [Sinner] provided it in this, as I understand, six-hour window.

"But it doesn't say in the rules it's a six-hour [window]. It's ‘a reasonable time’. So what's the reasonable time? In one case you can have a larger contamination, in some cases, you have a smaller one, like in his case.

"But the problem is that right now there is a lack of trust, generally, from the tennis players, both male and female, towards WADA and ITIA and the whole process.

"We [are] either going to agree that all the cases will be transparent from the beginning, or all will be kept private until they're resolved. I have no opinion of that right now.

"I think it's important to open the discussion and then let's see what's best for the sport."

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