World No. 1 Jannik Sinner's acceptance of a three-month ban on Saturday has sparked controversy, with Novak Djokovic condemning what he calls ‘favouritism.'
Sinner reached a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), admitting “partial responsibility” for two positive drug tests from March last year.
The tests detected a small amount of clostebol in his system, which his team attributed to accidental contamination when a team physio applied treatment to a cut on his finger before treating Sinner.
Originally facing a potential two-year ban, Sinner successfully appealed, reducing his suspension to three months.
“There's a majority of the players that I've talked to in the locker room, not just in the last few days, but also last few months, that are not happy with the way this whole process has been handled,” Djokovic said, speaking at the Qatar Open.
“A majority of the players don't feel it's fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening. It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers.”
This follows world No. 2 Iga Swiatek receiving a one-month ban after testing positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine. The International Tennis Integrity Agency determined that Swiatek's positive test resulted from contamination in a medication she used to combat jet lag.
These rulings are the latest in a series of anti-doping cases. In 2022, Britain's Tara Moore was suspended following an 18-month investigation, which ultimately concluded that contaminated meat was the source of the banned substances detected in her system.
Former world No. 1 Simona Halep was also handed a four-year ban in 2022 after a positive test, though it was later reduced to nine months. The suspension took a toll on her career, and last month, she announced her retirement after struggling to return to form.
“Simona Halep and Tara Moore and some other players that are maybe less known that have been struggling to resolve their cases for years, or have gotten the ban for years,” said Djokovic.
“There is so much inconsistencies between the cases.”
British tennis player Liam Broady also questioned the timing of Sinner's suspension.
“The ban ends the day before the Rome Masters, which is the biggest tournament in his home country and the perfect preparation for him to then go and play the French Open. I don't think he loses any points or his No 1 spot either, so it's an interesting ban,” Broady told BBC Sport.
Amid the backlash, WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel has defended the ruling, telling BBC Sport that Sinner's case was “a million miles away from doping.”
"When we look at these cases we try to look at them technically, operationally and we don't do it with fear of what the public and the politicians or anyone is going to say.”
