24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic has commented on the ban imposed on world number one, Jannik Sinner, saying majority of players on the ATP tour sense the Italian is enjoying some ‘favouritism’.
Sinner has been handed a three-month ban for doping after reaching an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) following two positive drug tests in March 2024.
According to Sinner, he only came in contact with the doping substance clostebol as a result of negligence by his physio, who used a massage spray containing the substance without the player’s knowledge.
While his explanation led to the agreement with WADA, Djokovic believes the decision regarding Sinner’s dope test has not been received too well among his colleagues in the sport.
“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 has been handled,” Djokovic said in Qatar.
The Serbian added, “A majority of the players don’t feel it’s fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening. It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers.”
Former women’s world number one Simona Halep was given a four-year ban by the ITIA in 2022 after a positive test, although it was later reduced to nine months, and Djokovic felt such cases involving high-profile and even less popular players showed inconsistencies in decisions regarding doping bans.
“Simona Halep and Tara Moore and some other players that are maybe less known that have been struggling to resolve their cases for years, or have got the ban for years,” Djokovic said. “There is so much inconsistencies between the cases.”
He continued, “Sinner has got a suspension for three months because of mistakes and negligence of his team members, who are working on the tour… I hope that in the near future the governing bodies are going to come together and try to find a more effective way to deal with these processes.”