Getting ready for Australian Open, Novak Djokovic gave his point of view on tennis’ high-profile doping cases and criticized what he perceives as a double out in the sport.
The former world No. 1, who is chasing a record 25 Grand Slam titles next month, expressed frustration on Sunday at being “kept in the dark” regarding the top-ranked doping case. Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic is the top seed at the Brisbane International this week, making his first appearance at the event since 2009. He will also join Australian Nick Kyrgios in doubles, with the duo headlining Monday’s action.
Off the court, Djokovic lent his voice on Sunday to strong criticism of Kyrgios made a day earlier, speaking at length about the ongoing doping case involving current world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
“I’m not questioning whether (Sinner) took the banned substance intentionally or not,” Djokovic said at a news conference Sunday in Brisbane. “We have had many 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 that we’ve been in the dark for at least five months (in the Sinner case).”
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accused both Sinner and former women’s world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of anti-doping violations earlier in the year.
Sinner tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March, but avoided a ban after the ITIA ruled he was not to blame. The World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed the decision.
Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension in November after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.
The Serbian also criticized the lack of transparency of tennis authorities regarding doping violations.
“The ATP hasn’t talked in depth about it. Why have they kept that case away from the public? We see the case of Simona Halep on the WTA Tour, now the case of Iga Swiatek,” Djokovic said.
“It’s not a good image for our sport. I’m just questioning the way the system works and why certain players are not treated the same as others. Maybe some ranking reasons are behind this, or some players have more financial backing and stronger legal teams to address these cases.”
Despite his frustrations, Djokovic remains focused on next season. After undergoing knee surgery earlier this year, he returned to reach the Wimbledon final, but skipped the year-end ATP Finals, where Sinner capped a dominant season with his eighth title.
“It’s strange for me to share all these kinds of ideas about how I feel on the court, some of the secrets of what I’m going through, what I’m thinking, how I see my game, with someone who has been one of my main rivals” Djokovic said.
“But I’m very happy and very grateful that he agreed to work with me, and in Australia… he is very meticulous, dedicated and professional.”
