Novak Djokovic argued that the doping case involving Jannik Sinner is ‘not helping tennis at all’. Sinner twice tested positive for a banned substance earlier this year but was allowed to play by an independent tribunal. He went on to win the US Open but now the World Anti-Doping Agency have appealed against the decision to clear Sinner. Speaking ahead of this week’s Shanghai Masters, where Sinner is the top seed, Djokovic said that tennis has ‘a system that is not working well’, adding: ‘Even people who are not following our sport, are realising there are way too many inconsistencies and way too many governing bodies involved’.
Sinner was competing in Beijing after the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) announced on Saturday that it was appealing the decision to clear him of blame after he twice tested positive for a banned substance in March.
The 23-year-old returned positive for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol – a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass – during Indian Wells.
Wada said last month’s ruling by an independent tribunal to find Sinner had no fault or negligence was “not correct under the applicable rules”.
It has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) and said the player should be banned for “between one and two years”.
Sinner’s defence said he was inadvertently contaminated by the banned substance by his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, and when Wada’s decision was announced, Sinner said he was “surprised” by the decision to appeal.
World number four Novak Djokovic, speaking at a news conference for the Shanghai Masters, called for the issue to be “resolved as soon as possible” and criticised the tennis anti-doping system’s “inconsistencies”.
“I think it’s quite obvious that we have a system that is not working well,” Djokovic said.
“There’s way too many inconsistencies, way too many governing bodies involved and this whole case is not helping our sport at all.
“Whatever is going to happen at the end of the day, just I wish for it to be resolved as soon as possible.”
