In an official statement, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) pointed out that Novak Djokovic did not decline a doping test. Following Djokovic’s claim that he refused to submit to a doping test before a Davis Cup match, many conspiracy theories and accusations were leveled at the Serbian tennis player.
However, Djokovic did not avoid the anti-doping controller’s test, which he took following his match in Malaga against Cameron Norrie.
The ITIA said in a statement: “The first thing to say is that Djokovic did not refuse the test. The rules state that when a player is notified, they must provide a sample as soon as they can. In team competitions such as the Davis Cup, players may be informed before a match, whereas in other competitions, testing usually takes place after the match. The procedure has not been changed, either for this event or for the player.”
The statement further read: “In the Davis Cup, teams are notified before the start of the match. This allows players to choose if they prefer to do it before their match; otherwise, it will be after, a member of the organization told us. They have a choice. Some players prefer to do it before; it frees them up after the meeting, which is also not bad; they avoid staying on site too long after the end of a meeting.”
Djokovic made it very evident after defeating Norrie that he was not pleased at all to be required to take a pre-match doping test. Djokovic emphasized in his statement that he has his pre-match routine and doesn’t want anyone to interfere with it.
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
LWWWWWWWWW Ranked world no.1, Novak played his last match on the 25th of November when he lost to world no.4 Jannik Sinner 6-2 2-6 7-5 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
Until now, during this year Djokovic achieved a 56-7 record. Djokovic clinched 7 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati, U.S. Open, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals. Novak was the finalist in Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic |
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