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Jannik Sinner and Grigor Dimitrov - Miami Open 2024

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Grigor Dimitrov calls out ‘double standards’ in Jannik Sinner doping case

Matthew Johns
Matthew Johns
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Grigor Dimitrov has had his say on the Jannik Sinner doping case, with the Bulgarian describing the whole situation as ‘strange’.Dimitrov was at an exhibition event in his home capital of Sofia in Bulgaria, playing against Novak Djokovic in a charity exhibition match.
While the event was played in good spirits, Dimitrov was also asked about a more serious topic in terms of World No.1 Sinner’s recent trials and tribulations. It was revealed ahead of the US Open that Sinner had failed two anti-doping tests following Indian Wells, after the prohibited substance clostebol was found in his system.
Despite this, Sinner was able to continue playing after appealing the automatic suspension on the grounds of contamination. The Italian has since claimed his second Grand Slam title at the US Open, and Dimitrov has now had his say on the complexities of the situation. “As I said before, in New York, what struck me the most as strange was how the protocols of this situation were handled,” said Dimitrov. “There are players who experienced completely different processes, with different procedures, and it made me wonder if there were double standards. “Double standards, this is essentially what I say. We see this in other sports as well. It’s not a secret. But the way this case unfolded was very strange to me, even as someone who has been on the ATP Tour for many years. We know things from the inside, especially how tournaments are run.” Dimitrov has played Sinner twice since he failed those two anti-doping tests, including in the final of the Miami Open, which was the first tournament after clostebol was found in his system. The World No.10 was then asked about whether he views these matches differently now, “Do I feel personally affected? Well, considering this year and the fact that I played against him in some very important matches, hypothetically, things could have looked different. Maybe he wouldn’t have played at all, and yes, of course, it makes you wonder.”Dimitrov will now head to Berlin for the Laver Cup, while Sinner looks to continue his winning streak as the defending champion in Beijing.Inside the baseline…The whole Jannik Sinner case has been very messy, and although the talk has dwindled it has still not completely gone away yet. It is completely understandable that Grigor Dimitrov feels a bit uneasy about his two meetings with Sinner now, especially as they came in a Masters 1000 final and a Grand Slam quarter-final. However, at the same time you just have to trust the system and hope that the right outcome was made.
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