Novak Djokovic hopes Jannik Sinner’s doping issue to be “resolved as soon as possible”
Olympic tennis champion Novak Djokovic hopes the case of the current world’s number one Jannik Sinner’s positive doping test would be “resolved as soon as possible”, but he again complained about the “inconsistencies” of the sport’s anti-doping system.
Jannik Sinner tested positive for doping twice in March, but was cleared and allowed to continue playing tennis. But the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Saturday it was appealing the decision and would seek a punishment of up to two years.
Earlier, Novak Djokovic said he could “understand the sentiments of a lot of players” who questioned whether Jannik Sinner’s status of world’s number one had protected him.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament, the former world’s number one admitted it must be “very difficult” for the Italian tennis player.
“It’s quite obvious that we have a system that’s not working well. There are too many inconsistencies, too many governing bodies involved and, you know, this whole case just doesn’t help our sport at all. Whatever happens in the end, I just want it resolved as soon as possible”, said Novak Djokovic.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency found the athlete’s explanations credible and did not object to the tennis player’s call for the suspension to be overturned. The Italian claims the banned substance was inadvertently introduced into his body by his physiotherapist, who used a spray to treat a wound on his finger, then massaged it.
WADA’s appeal reopened the case, with Jannik Sinner saying he had quite a few sleepless nights. The 23-year-old Italian showed mental stability after the allegations, winning the US Open, but he lost the ATP 500 China Open final to Carlos Alcaraz (Spain).
“It’s impressive what Sinner is doing with everything that’s going on and that he’s playing at such a high level”, commented Novak Djokovic.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will also participate in Shanghai, where the two players, together with the Serbian, are among the favorites.
Novak Djokovic is aiming for the 100th singles title of his career, which he says is “extra motivation”, but admitted he has “some catching up to do” as he has not played many tournaments recently.
Novak Djokovic is a four-time champion in Shanghai but has not played there in five years. Asked the secret to his previous tournament success, he laughed and replied: “I love Chinese food and the Chinese language, I think that helps!”
