Novak Djokovic has claimed the majority of players believe Jannik Sinner was shown “favouritism” with his three-month doping ban.
Sinner reached a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) over two positive drug tests in March last year. Sinner’s explanation that he was inadvertently contaminated with the banned substance clostebol by his physio was accepted by Wada, but the agency added that “the athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence”.
The world No 1 is therefore suspended from 9 February until 4 May, meaning he will be eligible to play at the French Open, which starts on 19 May. Speaking at the Qatar Open, Djokovic said: “There’s a majority of the players that I’ve talked to in the locker room, not just in the last few days, but also last few months, that are not happy with the way this whole process has been handled.
“A majority of the players don’t feel it’s 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.”
Sinner’s was the first of two high-profile cases in tennis in quick succession, with the women’s world No 2, Iga Swiatek, handed a one-month suspension in November after a positive test for the angina medication trimetazidine. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted it was caused by contamination of a medicine Swiatek was taking to help combat jet lag.
By contrast, the former world No 1 Simona Halep was given a four-year ban by the ITIA in 2022 after a positive test, although it was later reduced to nine months. Meanwhile, Britain’s Tara Moore, a far less well-known player, was suspended in May 2022 while an investigation lasted 18 months before an independent tribunal determined that contaminated meat was the source of the prohibited substances for which she tested positive.
“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 … there is so much inconsistencies between the cases,” said Djokovic. “Sinner has got a suspension for three months because of mistakes and negligence of his team members, who are working on the tour. This is also something that I personally and many other players find strange.
“Now it’s a ripe time for us to really address the system, because the system and the structure obviously doesn’t work, anti-doping, it’s obvious. I hope that in the near future the governing bodies are going to come together and try to find a more effective way to deal with these processes. It’s inconsistent, and it appears to be very unfair.”
Moore, 32, wrote on X on Monday: “I don’t think any of this was Sinner’s fault. I’m simply asking that everyone get the same treatment. I hope his case will further improve the conditions in which players are treated and will be a precedent for future cases’ timelines.”
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Britain’s Liam Broady suggested the timing of Sinner’s ban was convenient for the 23-year-old. “I do think a lot has been put into when the ban would take place, to impact Jannik’s career as little as possible,” Broady told BBC Sport.
“The ban ends the day before the Rome Masters, which is the biggest tournament in his home country and the perfect preparation for him to then go and play the French Open. I don’t think he loses any points or his No 1 spot either, so it’s an interesting ban.”
The British No 1 Jack Draper told Sky Sports: “I’m sure he wouldn’t have done anything intentional but we have to be accountable for what goes in our bodies. Obviously he’s got a ban for a few months and I don’t think that’s good for tennis.”
