After Jannik Sinner escaped a ban despite two positive tests in 2023, Novak Djokovic called on tennis authorities to come up with “clear protocols” and “standardised approaches” in doping cases. Speaking ahead of his US Open title defense, the 37-year-old Serbian expressed his concern over the handling of the Sinner case, particularly with what he feels is a lack of transparency and consistency.
Sinner, the world number one, returned traces of the banned anabolic agent clostebol in March during the Indian Wells Masters and in an out-of-competition test eight days later. He was provisionally suspended but very quickly cleared of any wrongdoing when he proved the drug had entered his system via a spray used by his physiotherapist.
The Italian claimed the process was regular procedure, but several players, including world number three Carlos Alcaraz, have asked if Sinner was given special treatment because of his ranking.
Djokovic repeated what many players — including Rafael Nadal on Thursday — have said: that inconsistency in doping inquiries undercuts the system. “There is a lot of frustration because of a lack of consistency,” Djokovic said. “We see a lack of standardized protocols.”
Sinner has since fired his physio and trainer in relation to the incident due to loss of confidence in their practices.
