Top
Jannik Sinner - US Open 2024, Novak Djokovic - Shanghai Masters 2024
ATP Tennis Players, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Tennis News

Novak Djokovic claims the ‘system is not working well’ amid Jannik Sinner doping case


Novak Djokovic is the latest player to have their say on the Jannik Sinner doping case appeal, as the 24-time Grand Slam champion gears up to return to action.

Djokovic is currently in China for the Shanghai Masters, as he prepares to play the ATP 1000 tournament for the first time in five years.

And when speaking to press in Shanghai, Djokovic was asked about the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recently announcing that they would be appealing Sinner’s doping case.

Sinner failed two anti-doping tests back in March, after the prohibited substance clostebol was found in his system, but was cleared of any wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on the grounds of contamination.

When speaking about the case, Djokovic admitted that this is not helping the sport, “I think it’s quite obvious that we have a system that is not working well.

“I guess that’s probably something that even the people who are not following our sport are realising. There are way too many inconsistencies, way too many governing bodies involved. Just this whole case is not helping our sport at all.”

When WADA confirmed that they would be appealing the case on Saturday, the organisation revealed that they wanted Sinner to be banned from one to two years.

However, Djokovic suggested that he has empathy for the current World No.1 and wants the case to be over as quickly as possible.

“I think he has won the three appeals so far that he had, and it must be very tough for him and his team and family. Hopefully, we can go back to tennis,” said Djokovic. “It’s impressive what he has been doing, in the whole process of what’s been happening, that he’s playing such a high level, winning Grand Slams and winning most of the matches that he plays.”

The 24-time Grand Slam champion continued, “But this situation or these circumstances are not positive for our sport, so hopefully we can resolve this case as soon as possible.

“Whatever’s going to happen, at the end of the day, I just wish for it to be resolved as soon as possible. That’s all I have to say about that.”

Djokovic will look to have his attention firmly on the tennis courts when he takes on either Alex Michelsen or Yuchaokete Bu in the second round of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday.

Inside the baseline…

The general consensus from Jannik Sinner’s rivals is that they feel for the World No.1, and want this to be dealt with by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as quickly as possible to reach an appropriate outcome. Novak Djokovic spoke about how well Sinner has coped with this case hanging over him, which could not be more true with the Italian losing only his sixth match of the year today – with half of those coming to Carlos Alcaraz.

READ MORE – Daniil Medvedev ‘sympathetic’ to Jannik Sinner after WADA appeal

 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

 Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner 


By
0

Matthew Johns, Tennishead Writer, is a professional tennis journalist with a specialist degree in Sports Journalism. He's a keen tennis player having represented his local club and University plus he's also a qualified tennis coach. Matthew has a deep knowledge of tennis especially the ATP Tour and thrives on breaking big tennis news stories for Tennishead.