Novak Djokovic has called for an overhaul of tennis’s anti-doping system, arguing that it is riddled with inconsistencies and perceived favouritism towards top-ranked players.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion believes that recent cases involving Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek highlight flaws in how doping violations are handled, particularly in contrast to the harsher penalties imposed on lower-ranked players.
Sinner, the world number one, accepted a three-month ban after twice testing positive for traces of clostebol in March last year.
Initially exonerated by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in August, he later faced a possible two-year suspension when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
However, in a surprising turn, WADA withdrew its appeal, reaching an agreement with Sinner for a much shorter suspension.
Similarly, five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek received only a one-month ban last year after testing positive for trimetazidine, a prohibited heart medication.
Djokovic, speaking ahead of his return to action at the Qatar Open, expressed concern over how these cases were handled.
“A majority of the players don’t feel that it’s fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening. It seems like it appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player if you have access to the top lawyers.”
Djokovic compared Sinner’s and Swiatek’s relatively lenient suspensions with the four-year ban initially handed to Simona Halep in 2022 after testing positive for roxadustat, a drug that boosts red blood cell production.
Halep, a former world number one, argued that the substance came from a tainted supplement, and after a lengthy legal battle, her suspension was reduced to nine months.
“Simona Halep and (Britain’s) 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.
He criticised the current system for its apparent lack of transparency and urged tennis’ governing bodies to address the issue.
Djokovic believes that without a more uniform policy, trust in anti-doping measures will continue to erode.
As Djokovic returns to competition following his injury withdrawal from last month’s Australian Open semi-finals, his comments are likely to add pressure on tennis authorities to reassess their approach to anti-doping regulations.
