New Delhi: Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic has reacted to the doping settlement case of current World No.1 Jannik Sinner with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). In a surprising move, the world body against doping withdrew its appeal against the rising Italian tennis star for a anti-doping violation in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on February 15.
In March 2024, Sinner had tested positive for a dope tests twice for anabolic steroid Clostebol. Later in August the same year, the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) independent tribunal ruled that the 23-year-old player had no ‘fault or negligence’ for the two anti-doping rule violations.
In September 2024, WADA filed an appeal before the CAS, where the global anti-doping body sought a period of ban between one and two years as it believed the clearance from the independent tribunal was incorrect.
However, the recent development where WADA, in order to ensure a fair and appropriate outcome, entered a settlement with the three-time Grand Slam champion, who accepted a three-month ban period from February 9, 2025, to May 4, 2025.
Djokovic’s Criticism of the Anti-Doping System’s Inconsistency
The settlement has led to massive backlash in the international tennis fraternity with some of the top players, former and current, questioning the transparency of dope cases, particularly after WADA announced to not appeal in the Iga Swiatek doping case, wherein the Polish female tennis star was served one-month ban for for low levels of the prohibited substance trimetazidine.
Djokovic has been the latest to voice his opinion on the matters. He said that many players in the locker room are unpleased with the verdicts.
“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 a press conference.
“A majority of the players don’t feel that it’s fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening. It seems like, it appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers,” he added.
“It’s not a good image for our sport”
Novak Djokovic reacts to news of Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban, calling for changes to be made to the anti-doping system’s structure 🎾 pic.twitter.com/tkoqQJ76PH
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 17, 2025
Different verdict for similar substance?
Many have also questioned a contrary punishment from WADA against Spanish pair skater Laura Barquero for consumption of the same prohibited substance which was taken by Sinner. Barquero was slapped with a six-year ban from February 22, 2022, to February 21, 2028.
WADA has issued explanation in the stark difference between the two cases, citing that the evidence provided by Sinner was convincing.
“The fundamental difference between the two cases is that Ms. Barquero’s version of how the substance entered her system was unconvincing in light of the evidence, such that the circumstances remained unknown as far as WADA was concerned,” WADA told news agency The Associated Press.
“In contrast, in the Sinner case, the evidence clearly confirmed the athlete’s explanation as outlined in the first instance decision,” the global body added.
Novak Djokovic has voiced strong criticism of the handling of Jannik Sinner’s doping case, highlighting inconsistencies in WADA’s approach and suggesting favoritism towards top players. The disparity in punishments for similar offenses across different sports further fuels concerns about the anti-doping process’s integrity. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
