Novak Djokovic, who is on the verge of his return to professional tennis in the upcoming 2025 Australian Open, has finally broken his silence on Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s high-profile doping case.
As per the 24-time Grand Slam champion, what frustrated him the most was the fact that the management kept them in the dark for five months.
Although he didn’t directly question Sinner’s innocence on the matter, Novak questioned the ATP as to why they kept the case away from public eyes and media unlike other doping cases in the past.
Novak Djokovic said, “I’m not questioning whether (Sinner) took the banned substance intentionally or not. We’ve had plenty of players in the past and currently under suspension for not even testing positive for banned substances. Some players with lower rankings waiting for their case to be resolved for over a year. I’ve been really frustrated to see we’ve been kept in the dark for at least five months (on the Sinner case).”
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 his train of thought, Novak said, “The ATP hasn’t really talked in depth about it. Why have they kept that case away from the public? We see Simona Halep’s case on the WTA Tour; now Iga Swiatek’s case. It’s not a good image for our sport.”
Further, Novak voiced his opinion regarding the system and the disparities between players based on the rankings. He even went ahead to highlight the need for more secure and solid financial backing and stronger legal teams to tackle such high-profile doping cases.
Novak concluded, “I’m just questioning the way the system works and why certain players aren’t treated the same as others. Maybe some ranking reasons are behind it, or some players have more financial backing and stronger legal teams to tackle these cases.”
For those unaware, the US Open champion first tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol on March 10 and then again after eight days.
However, Sinner successfully appealed in both cases, allowing him to continue playing at Indian Wells while the investigation was ongoing. Now, it seems like Kyrgios wants to play the Italian. Well, that more so seems like a challenge.
Novak Djokovic extended support to Nick Kyrgios over Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek
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.
With that being said, all the prominent players are currently working on their gameplay for the upcoming Australian Open.
