Djokovic openly expresses his disapproval towards the Sinner situation.
The controversial doping cases of tennis champ Jannik Sinner and his subsequent exoneration at the US Open have sparked quite a commotion. Now, 24-time Grand Slam titan Novak Djokovic is voicing his thoughts, straight up.
Djokovic has voiced his disapproval towards the inconsistent treatment of other tennis pros in relation to Sinner's doping scandal. "I get why the players are feeling heated due to the lack of uniformity. We see a deficiency in standardized and unambiguous procedures," the 37-year-old Serbian stated before the commencement of the US Open.
Following two positive tests in March for the forbidden anabolic steroid Clostebol, Sinner was cleared by an impartial court on Monday, as reported by the accountable tennis body ITIA. The validity of Sinner's explanation that the banned substance inadvertently entered his system via a massage was deemed credible. The ITIA made the acquittal and positive tests public only on Tuesday.
Djokovic anticipates constructive outcomes from the Sinner affair
Djokovic commented that a multitude of players' situations were comparable, but they didn't receive the same outcome. "So now the query is, does it depend on a player's financial means, whether they can afford to hire an expensive legal firm to handle their case?" Sinner was suspended temporarily due to the two positive tests, yet successfully overturned them. This information was made available at the beginning of this week.
"I hope the leading tennis organizations learn from this case and handle it more judiciously in the future. I believe there needs to be a change, and I think it's evident," expressed Djokovic. He also pointed towards his Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which he established four years ago. However, he highlighted that the PTPA is yet to gain full recognition in the tennis arena.
Djokovic expressed his hope that the tennis authorities would learn from the Sinner case and handle similar situations more justly in the future, recognizing the need for change. He also mentioned that the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which he founded, is still not fully recognized in the tennis world.
Given the events surrounding Sinner's doping scandal and his eventual exoneration, Djokovic lamented the apparent disparities in how such cases are handled, suggesting that a player's financial means might influence the outcome.
