'Majority' of players see 'favoritism' in Jannik Sinner doping ban

Novak Djokovic lamented the “favoritism” shown to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner over his three-month doping ban.

Sinner and the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA, reached a settlement related to two positive drug tests he had in March 2024, which the Italian tennis star said stemmed from a banned substance inadvertently administered to him by his former physio.

The settlement and three-month ban that begins now allows Sinner to be back in time to play in the Italian Open, and more notably the French Open and Wimbledon.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev of Germany at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. AP

While speaking to reporters at the Qatar Open, Djokovic said that the feeling going around the sport was that there was some anger about how the situation played out for Sinner compared to others who have faced similar issues.

“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, per the Guardian. “A majority of the players don’t feel it’s fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favoritism happening. It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers.”

The tennis superstar then pointed to the cases of Simona Halep and Tara Moore, who both were handed severe penalties by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for similar transgressions.

Halep had been a former world No. 1 and was banned for four years by the ITIA in 2022 after she tested positive for a banned substance but later had the suspension reduced to nine months.

“There is so much inconsistencies between the cases,” Djokovic said. “Sinner has got a suspension for three months because of mistakes and negligence of his team members, who are working on the tour. This is also something that I personally and many other players find strange. Now it’s a ripe time for us to really address the system, because the system and the structure obviously doesn’t work, anti-doping, it’s obvious.

“I hope that in the near future the governing bodies are going to come together and try to find a more effective way to deal with these processes. It’s inconsistent, and it appears to be very unfair.”

Italy’s Jannik Sinner received a three-month ban over a doping scandal. AFP via Getty Images

WADA said in a statement that accepted Sinner’s explanation that he “did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of the negligence of members of his entourage.”

“However, under the Code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence,” the statement also said.

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