Former professional road racing cyclist Marc Madiot has criticized Novak Djokovic for his anger over being subjected to a doping test before his Davis Cup match against Cameron Norrie.
Even though Djokovic defeated Norrie in the singles match in the quarterfinals, he disclosed following the match that he had been contacted by WADA before the match and instructed to submit to doping control. Djokovic was annoyed by the illogical decision because he had never encountered anything similar in his career.
Although Djokovic didn’t provide his sample until after the match, the International Tennis Integrity Agency stated that he hadn’t broken any rules because players can choose to be tested before or after the match. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was still irritated at the anti-doping officials’ interruption, though.
Djokovic expressed his thoughts about this in an interview and said: “I had a brief discussion with people from the anti-doping agency. I didn’t believe that they made such a decision; in 20 and more years of my career, it never happened to me that an hour and a half before the match, I needed to go for doping control. I have my routine. I don’t need that distraction—to have my urine and blood taken—to think about whether I can give urine at that moment. Illogical situation and decision.”
Speaking out about the matter, Madiot demanded that Djokovic be suspended from tennis for his refusal to submit to the examination. Madiot claims that since refusing to take a break before a race would be viewed as an automatic positive test, cyclists do not have this freedom.
Madiot said: “There are rules for testing before and after the competition. If the anti-doping body is doing its job, Mr. Novak Djokovic must be suspended. He refused a test before the match and did it after. In cycling, you are subjected to a test and if you refuse, you are automatically positive. If that is the case, you are sanctioned. You don’t have the right to refuse testing; that’s the rule.”
Notably, the ITIA has verified that Djokovic did not decline any tests, proving that Madiot is incorrect on this point. Furthermore, Madiot criticized the fact that some substances have a short half-life in the body, making it impossible to detect them through post-match testing on athletes.
He added: “In the assortment of doping products, there are those that can be detected for a very limited period of time. If you don’t test yourself before the start or during the match, their traces can be erased from your body. That is why testing was introduced before the competition. The fact that he was only warned is unreal.”
Novak Djokovic was furious after being asked to undergo a dope test shortly before Serbia's Davis Cup win over Great Britain, although the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said Saturday it was standard practice and he had not been singled out.https://t.co/unNomDXu9A pic.twitter.com/hqF92CbhXk
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 25, 2023
Novak Djokovic in 2023
LWWWWWWLWW Ranked no.1, Djokovic played his last match on the 25th of November when he surrendered to world no.4 Jannik Sinner 6-2 2-6 7-5 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
This season Novak owns a composed 56-7 record. The Serbian conquered 7 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati, U.S. Open, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals. Djokovic got to the final in Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic |
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