Novak Djokovic is in Doha to participate in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. He was asked in the press conference about Jannik Sinner’s three-month suspension.
“It’s not a good look for our sports. The majority of the players that I’ve talked to in the locker room, not just in the last few days but also the last few months are not happy with the way this whole process has been handled. The majority of the players don’t feel that it’s fair, the majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening. It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you’re a top player; if you have access to the top lawyers and whatnot,” said the former world No.1.
The word “favoritism” is very interesting as it suggests Sinner is receiving more leniency that others might not be afforded. It carries a slightly negative connotation, suggesting that the treatment might be undeserved or unfair. Djokovic is stating a fact that many players he talked to believe this, and many players have posted that exact sentiment online. Whether Djokovic is merely putting forward the views of others and not necessarily endorsing the view himself is unclear.
I agree with Djokovic that a player is better off in these situations with funds and capable lawyers. He or she won’t take the wrong steps, potentially conceding this or that against their interest. So in this regard, the playing field is likely not level. On the other hand, it appears that WADA may be more interested in pursuing high-profile players in these cases. So the funds and top lawyers come in handy. Also, it is common for better players to have better lawyers and if they are given chances to dispute their cases, higher likelihood for better outcomes. Even Djokovic must have top lawyers himself.
Djokovic Believes in Sinner’s innocence
Djokovic further said: “Swiatek and Sinner are innocent and it’s proven unless proven otherwise. Sinner has got suspension for three months because of the mistakes and the negligence of his team members that are working on the tour so that’s also something that I personally and a lot of players find a bit strange.”
Djokovic clearly mentions that he believes Sinner is innocent but what he and other players find “strange” is interesting. Whether he thinks Sinner should not be suspended at all for the fault of his team members or he should be suspended for a longer duration is unclear. Maybe he’s not getting into details because he doesn’t want to be drawn into answering multiple follow-up questions.
On Inconsistencies of Cases and the System
“There is so much inconsistencies between the cases,” Djokovic continued. “We’ve seen on social media, Simona Halep and Tara Moore and some other players that are maybe less known that have been struggling to resolve their cases for years or have gotten the ban for years. It’s a ripe time for us to really address the system because the system and structure of anti-doping obviously doesn’t work.
“It’s inconsistent and it appears to be very unfair. If you are going to treat every case individually or independently which is what’s happening then there is no consistency and transparency and some cases are transparent and some are not.”
Anyone who has read the cases knows Sinner’s and Swiatek’s cases were very different from Halep’s. That’s probably the gist of it, every case is very different and you can’t draw parallels unless you’ve read in detail. The main issue in Halep’s case was that she failed to provide explanations when she was asked about the contamination. She was also a top player with access to lawyers. It has been clearly stated that if a player can prove within 10 days of positive testing how the substance entered their body, then their name will not be disclosed. Halep took longer than that. The rules are messy but it is what it is at the moment.
Djokovic did address this: “There is a kind of a vague rule that I read that within a reasonable time, you have to provide information where you got the contaminated substance and he (Sinner) provided it in six hours but it doesn’t say in the rule that it’s six hours, it’s a reasonable time, so what’s the reasonable time? Sometimes in one case, you have a larger contamination and in some cases, you have a smaller one like in his case. But the problem is that right now there is a lack of trust generally from the tennis players both male and female towards WADA and ITIA and the whole process.”
Maybe Djokovic was referring in Halep‘s case to the endless delays of ITIA, which should not be allowed in sports, where athletes have such a limited time for competing. Halep had to wait many months to at least have a chance to finally defend herself in court, all simply because ITIA couldn’t be bothered to process her case on time.
The Serb has made some good points although not all were clear, especially regarding Sinner. He tried to cover multiple negative aspects of the ITIA and WADA in a very brief manner but it does open the room for discussion.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
