Earlier on Tuesday, Jannik Sinner and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) revealed that the Italian had failed two anti-doping tests in March. But an independent tribunal ruled that it wasn't the world no. 1's fault or negligence for the presence of the banned substance clostebol. Sinner and his team successfully argued that he had been contaminated by his physiotherapist.
The news sent shockwaves as many players reacted by stating that top-ranked players are subjected to different rules, compared to lower-ranked players.
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Reacting to the situation, Novak Djokovic is of the opinion that anti-doping rules in tennis need to change. "There is a lot of issues in the system. We see a lack of standardised and clear protocols. I can understand the sentiments of a lot of players that are questioning whether they are treated the same. Hopefully the governing bodies of our sport will be able to learn from this case and have a better approach for the future. Collectively there has to be a change, and I think that’s obvious," he said.
"Many players – without naming any of them [as] I’m sure you know already who – have had similar or pretty much the same cases, where they haven’t had the same outcome," the Serbian further explained.
{{/usCountry}}"Many players – without naming any of them [as] I’m sure you know already who – have had similar or pretty much the same cases, where they haven’t had the same outcome," the Serbian further explained.
{{/usCountry}}"And now the question is whether it is a case of the funds, whether a player can afford to pay a significant amount of money for a law firm that would then more efficiently represent his or her case. I don’t know. Is that the case or not? That’s something really I feel like we have to collectively investigate more."
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz responded to it with caution, and called it a 'delicate' and 'serious' subject. He also felt that most people don't know what is going on behind the scenes. Sinner will open his US Open 2024 campaign on Tuesday, against American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.