Tennis star Novak Djokovic has criticised anti-doping agencies like World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), saying he has lost trust in them after Jannik Sinner received a three-month ban for an anti-doping case. He also accused them of showing favouritism toward certain athletes.
During a press conference after the Qatar Open, Djokovic called for a reform in how anti-doping cases are handled. He pointed out that players, both male and female, have lost faith in the current system.
He emphasised the lack of consistency and transparency, stating, "If you treat every case independently, there’s no consistency or transparency. We’re either going to agree all cases will be transparent from the start or all will be kept private until the result."
Further Djokovic also stated by taunting that governing bodies would come with us on tours in future.
“So, I hope that in the near future that the governing bodies are going to come together of our tours and the tennis ecosystem and try to find a more effective way to deal with these processes."
Jannik Sinner out of action due to anti-doping case
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has accepted a three-month ban from professional tennis after reaching a settlement with WADA over his two positive doping tests from last year. This means he will be unable to compete until May 4.
On Saturday, WADA issued a statement explaining that Sinner's positive test for clostebol was due to unintentional contamination from his physiotherapist.
While WADA acknowledged that Sinner "did not intend to cheat," they maintained that athletes are responsible for their team’s negligence. Given the unique circumstances, they concluded that a three-month suspension was appropriate.
