Novak Djokovic calls for change in doping rules after Jannik Sinner case | US Open Tennis 2024

In light of the recent case of Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic is calling for a change in tennis' anti-doping rules. He says he understands why players question the equal treatment of all doping cases.

“There are many problems in the system,” Djokovic said. “There is a lack of standardized and clear protocols. I can understand the feelings of many players who wonder if they are being treated equally. Hopefully the governing bodies of our sport can learn from this case and find a better approach in the future. Something needs to change together and I think that is obvious.”

On Tuesday, Sinner and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that the world number one had failed two doping tests in March. An independent court ruled that the Italian was neither guilty nor negligent in the presence of the banned substance clostebol after he successfully argued that he had been contaminated by his physiotherapist.

Since then, numerous players, including Denis Shapovalov, Lucas Pouille and Britain's Tara Moore, have argued that different rules apply to top-level players than to lower-ranked players. Moore was out of action for 19 months during her provisional ban after testing positive for metabolites of nandrolone and boldenone in 2022, before a no-fault or negligence verdict in December.

“Many players – without naming any of them [as] I'm sure you already know who has had similar or pretty much the same cases that didn't lead to the same outcome,” Djokovic said. “And now the question is whether it's a question of finances, whether a player can afford to pay a significant amount of money to a law firm that will then represent his case more efficiently. I don't know. Is that the case or not? That's something I really feel like we need to look into more closely together.”

Carlos Alcaraz reacted cautiously when asked about his rival's positive test. “Ultimately, it's a very sensitive subject,” Alcaraz said in Spanish. “It's a very, very serious subject. There are things behind the scenes that many people don't know, that I certainly don't know. So ultimately, it's very difficult to talk about the subject, honestly. He tested positive, but there must be a reason why they let him continue playing that we don't know. So I can't say much more on the subject either.”

“In the end they declared him innocent and he is in the tournament. I think there is not much left to talk about and at least I don't have much to say. It is something that will be talked about. [in the locker room].”