Djokovic accuses anti-doping agencies for' favouritism' after WADA handed 3-month ban to Sinner (WATCH)
Novak Djokovic became the latest player to share his thoughts on WADA handing a 3-month ban to Jannik Sinner for anti-doping violations.
FollowThe Serbian tennis legend and World.7 Novak Djokovic has slammed anti-doping agencies including World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for their favourtism towards certain athletes and holding them responsible for loss of faith in them by tennis players.
Novak Djokovic became the latest player to share his thoughts on WADA handing a 3-month ban to Jannik Sinner for anti-doping violations. It was reported that WADA sought a two-year ban on Jannik Sinner from playing professional tennis after the agency appealed against the Italian’s getting cleared of any wrongdoing to the Court of Arbitration for Sports. WADA and Jannik Sinner had an off-court settlement, with the latter accepting a three-month suspension.
The World Anti-Doping Agency’s decision to hand Jannik Sinner a 3-month suspension and the mutual agreement between them regarding the ban sparked debates over inconsistencies and favouritism in anti-doping regulations. Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios too expressed their disappointment over WADA’s decision.
Novak Djokovic on players’ faith in anti-doping agencies
Speaking at the press conference after first round doubles win at the Qatar Open, Novak Djokovic stated that players have lost faith in anti-doping agencies due to inconsistency over their handling of cases. The tennis legend also revealed that players who he had spoken to were not happy with the way anti-doping agencies handled Sinner’s case.
“Right now there is a lack of trust generally from the tennis players, both male and female, toward WADA and ITIA and the whole process,” Djokovic said.
“It’s not a good image for our sport, that’s for sure. 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 (for Sinner) has been handled.” he added.
Jannik Sinner was found guilty of consuming clostebol, a banned performance-enhancing substance. Sinner was firm on stand that he inadvertently consumed and managed to gain the trust of ITIA after he removed one of the members from his team, whom he believed was the one responsible for contamination. Ahead of the US Open 2024, Sinner managed to escape the ban but WADA opposed it and appealed to CAS, which eventually led to an off-court settlement
‘There is favourtism’: Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic further added that there is a favourtism towards certain tennis players. If a top player can hire a top lawyer, then they might receive even more lenient punishment or escape ban.
“A majority of the players don’t feel that it’s fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favoritism 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.”
Jannik Sinner was scheduled to play the Qatar Open before he accepted the ban.
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