Reuters
[Source: Reuters]
Novak Djokovic said a majority of players believe favouritism is at play in the tennis anti-doping system and called for it to be overhauled in the wake of cases involving Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek.
Sinner on Saturday accepted a three-month doping ban after testing positive for anabolic agent clostebol last year, while Swiatek served a one-month ban at the end of 2024 when the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) showed up in her test.
While Djokovic was not suggesting that either of the Grand Slam champions had intentionally done anything wrong, he did say there were inconsistencies in their treatment at the hands of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
“The two cases of Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner have attracted a lot of attention and it’s not a good image for our sport,” the 24-times Grand Slam champion said at the Qatar Open on Monday.
“A majority of the players don’t feel that (the process is) fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening.”
“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,” Djokovic added.
Other current and former players such as Nick Kyrgios, Stan Wawrinka and Tim Henman have raised questions over Sinner’s case, the latter suggesting that the expiration of his ban just before the Rome Masters and French Open was “too convenient“.
