Novak Djokovic has voiced considerations {that a} majority of gamers imagine favoritism exists throughout the tennis anti-doping system, calling for an entire overhaul following the doping instances of Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek.
Sinner accepted a three-month ban on Saturday after testing constructive for the anabolic agent clostebol final 12 months, whereas Swiatek served a one-month ban on the finish of 2024 after the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) was detected in her check.
Though Djokovic didn’t indicate any intentional wrongdoing by both Grand Slam champion, he highlighted inconsistencies in how they have been handled by 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-time Grand Slam champion stated on the Qatar Open on Monday.
“A majority of the gamers do not feel that (the method is) truthful. A majority of the gamers really feel like there’s favoritism occurring.
“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 present and former gamers, comparable to Nick Kyrgios, Stan Wawrinka, and Tim Henman, have raised questions on Sinner’s case, with the latter suggesting that the expiration of his ban simply earlier than the Rome Masters and French Open was “too convenient.”
Djokovic, who co-founded the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) as a voice for athletes within the sport, stated there’s widespread distrust of the whole doping course of amongst his fellow gamers.
“I think right now it’s the ripe time for us to address the system because the system and the structure obviously don’t work on anti-doping. It’s obvious,” the 37-year-old Serbian stated.
“I hope within the close to future the governing our bodies are going to return collectively, of our excursions and the tennis ecosystem, and attempt to discover a simpler technique to cope with these processes.
“It’s inconsistent, and it appears to be very unfair.”
Sinner’s settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which had appealed when the Italian was cleared with out punishment final 12 months, acknowledged his rationalization that tainted merchandise utilized by his masseur had been behind the constructive check.
“Sinner got suspended for three months because of the mistakes and negligence of his team members that are working on the (ATP) Tour, so that’s also something that I personally, and a lot of players, find a bit strange,” Djokovic stated.
Djokovic identified that it appeared very completely different processes have been adopted by the ITIA in doping instances involving Romanian Simona Halep and Briton Tara Moore.
“There are so many inconsistencies between the cases,” he stated.
“We have seen on social media Simona Halep and Tara Moore and another gamers, who could also be much less recognized, which have been struggling to resolve their instances for years or have gotten the ban for years.
“We have to bear in mind that Sinner and Swiatek were number ones in the world when those announcements happened,” he added.
Source: www.dailysabah.com