Novak Djokovic has called for “clear protocols” and “standardised approaches” in response to the recent doping case involving Jannik Sinner, who avoided a ban despite testing positive for a banned substance twice in 2024. Speaking to reporters as he prepared to defend his US Open title, Djokovic expressed concern over the inconsistency and lack of transparency in handling such cases.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, acknowledged the frustration among players regarding the lack of consistency in the Sinner case. “I understand the frustration of the players is there because of lack of consistency,” he said. “As I understood, his case was cleared the moment basically it was announced. But, you know, I think five or six months passed since the news (of the positive tests) was brought to him and his team.”
The Serbian tennis star highlighted issues within the current system, noting a significant need for standardised and transparent protocols. “So, yeah, there is a lot of issues in the system. We see lack of standardised and clear protocols. I can understand the sentiments of a lot of players that are questioning whether they are treated the same,” Djokovic added.
The controversy surrounding Sinner arose after he tested positive for low levels of clostebol, a banned anabolic agent, during the Indian Wells Masters in March. An out-of-competition test eight days later also yielded positive results. Sinner, who was initially provisionally suspended, claimed the substance entered his system through a spray used by his physiotherapist for treatment.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on August 20 that Sinner had been cleared of any wrongdoing. Sinner has since fired his physiotherapist and trainer, citing a loss of confidence in their handling of the situation.
Carlos Alcaraz, the world No. 3, hinted on August 24 that there might be more to the case than has been publicly revealed but refrained from criticizing the ITIA’s decision. “You know, I am pretty sure that there are a lot of things that we don’t know, you know, inside the team or inside everything,” Alcaraz said. “But if they let Jannik to keep playing, (it’s) for something. They said he’s innocent, so that’s all I know and that’s all I can talk about.”
Djokovic also used the opportunity to advocate for the Professional Tennis Players Association, which he helped establish to give players a stronger voice. He questioned whether cases like Sinner’s might be resolved with less public scrutiny due to the player’s financial resources. “I don’t know,” Djokovic said. “Is that a case or not? That’s something really I feel like we have to collectively investigate more, to look into the system and understand how these cases don’t happen, meaning not the case itself, but how we can standardise everything so that every player, regardless of his ranking or status or profile, is able to get the same kind of treatment.”
Novak Djokovic in 2024
Now ranked no.2, Novak played his last match on the 4th of August when he overcame world no.3 Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3) 7-6(2) in the final in Paris to win his 99th career title.
This season Novak owns a composed 29-7 win-loss record. Djokovic clinched 1 title in Paris. Novak got to the final in Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic will compete against the world no.138 Radu Albot in the 1st
round on Monday at 9:00 pm on Arthur Ashe Stadium. They have never competed against each other as of now in top competitions.The Serbian conquered 1 title in 2024 in Paris. Djokovic was the runner-up in Wimbledon.
The Serbian won 100 titles in his career: 53 on hard courts, 20 on clay courts, 19 on indoor courts and 8 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play in Shanghai (Shanghai Rolex Masters) on the 30th of September and Paris (Rolex Paris Masters) on the 28th of October.
Jannik Sinner in 2024
Currently ranked no.1, Jannik played his last match on the 19th of August when he defeated world no.20 Francis Tiafoe 7-6(4) 6-2 in the final in Cincinnati to win his 16th career title.
Currently, during this season Jannik has achieved a compiled 48-5 match record. Sinner conquered 5 titles in 2024 at the Australian Open, Rotterdam, Miami, Halle and Cincinnati.
Jannik Sinner will come up against the world no.140 Mackenzie Mcdonald in the 1st round. The head to head is 3-0 for Sinner.
Jannik has won 5 titles in 2024 at the Australian Open, Rotterdam, Miami, Halle and Cincinnati.
Sinner won 16 titles in his career: 7 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts, 7 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Sinner is scheduled to play next at the U.S. Open (U.S. Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 26th of August.
Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner played each other 7 times. Their actual record is 4-3 for Djokovic. Before, the last time they locked horns, Jannik Sinner won 6-1 6-2 6-7(6) 6-3 in the semifinal in Melbourne (Australian Open) on the 26th of January 2024.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.
Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner |
| Embed from Getty Images |