Novak Djokovic has finally broken his silence on the ongoing debate around Jannik Sinner‘s recent doping case. For the uninitiated, the entire fiasco started when Australian Firebrand Nick Kyrgios commented on Jannik Sinner’s doping case, taking a brutal hit at the current World No. 1.
Kyrgios further took a dig at Jannik Sinner, highlighting how he is the one who employed his team and then, once caught, can’t act like a victim.
Nick Kyrgios said, “Once you get caught, you can’t act like the victim. That’s what pisses me off even more about it. I’m like, ‘Hold on a second… you employ your team, don’t you?’ Say we go out and have a party… How in our sport can someone get punished 2 years for having a night out vs. someone who’s actually trying to enhance their performance?”
As per the 29-year-old, he never failed any drug test and only consumed alcohol to get a “good night’s sleep.”
He further added, “I haven’t failed any drug tests….I know me personally; I’ve never done it. I won’t ever do it. I drink alcohol, and I may not get a good night’s sleep. I’m already putting myself against the back of the wall. Then I gotta go out there, and this guy is rubbing cream all over his body that gives him some crazy aura, and then it’s not fair.“
Now, Djokovic has extended his support for Kyrgios, highlighting how everyone has the right to express themselves. He further talked about Kyrgios’s point regarding the inconsistency and transparency of the protocols as compared to other doping cases present in tennis.
Novak Djokovic said, “We live in a world where everyone has the right to express themselves, especially on social media. Nick has spoken a lot about the whole Jannik doping case, and he’s right about the transparency and the inconsistency of the protocols and the comparisons between the various cases.“
That’s not all; the 24-Grand Slam title champion talked further about those players who have been suspended for not having undergone anti-doping tests, let alone being tested positive for any doping case. Novak Djokovic then talked about the lower-ranked players who are still waiting for their cases to be resolved for over a year at this point.
Continuing further, he added, “We have seen many players in the past, and also currently, who have been suspended for not even having undergone anti-doping tests and for not having communicated their whereabouts, and some lower-ranked players who have been waiting for their cases to be resolved for more than a year.”
For the uninitiated, the US Open champion first tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol on March 10 and then again after eight days.
However, in both cases, Sinner appealed and was allowed to continue playing in the Indian Wells while the investigation was still going on. Now, it seems like Kyrgios wants to play the Italian. Well, that more so seems like a challenge.
