{"id":734,"date":"2025-02-19T13:20:06","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T13:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/?p=734"},"modified":"2025-02-25T09:39:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T09:39:14","slug":"novak-djokovic-says-recent-doping-cases-in-tennis-suggest-favoritism-and-are-not-a-good-image-for-our-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/novak-djokovic-says-recent-doping-cases-in-tennis-suggest-favoritism-and-are-not-a-good-image-for-our-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"Novak Djokovic says recent doping cases in tennis suggest \u2018favoritism\u2019 and are \u2018not a good image for our sport\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"source inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/source\/instances\/cm7acrel8007r2cqi0z5a98p4@published\" data-component-name=\"source\" data-article-gutter=\"true\"><cite class=\"source__cite\">\u00a0<\/cite><a href=\"https:\/\/cnn.com\/2025\/01\/24\/sport\/novak-djokovic-retires-australian-open-semifinal-injury\/index.html\">Novak Djokovic<\/a>\u00a0believes that \u201cfavoritism\u201d is damaging tennis\u2019 anti-doping system in light of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cnn.com\/2025\/02\/15\/sport\/jannik-sinner-three-month-ban-tennis-spt-intl\/index.html\">Jannik Sinner\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0three-month ban.<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog300023b6ma06zud5h@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">On Saturday, it had emerged that world No. 1 Sinner accepted a ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) from February 9 until May 4 to settle a case which had lingered over tennis for months after the 2025 Australian Open winner twice tested positive for banned substance Clostebol in March last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog300033b6m4mg6znhn@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">He previously avoided suspension when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in August that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/08\/20\/sport\/jannik-sinner-avoids-suspension-banned-substance-spt-intl\/index.html\">he wasn\u2019t at fault for the positive tests<\/a>, but WADA later\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/09\/28\/sport\/wada-appeals-decision-jannik-sinner-positive-tests-spt-intl\/index.html\">lodged an appeal<\/a>\u00a0with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-slot-dynamic ad-slot-dynamic--1\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/ad-slot-dynamic\/instances\/sharethrough@published\" data-placement=\"{&quot;mobile&quot;:{&quot;position&quot;:5},&quot;desktop&quot;:{&quot;position&quot;:3}}\" data-unselectable=\"true\">\n<div class=\"ad-slot\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/ad-slot\/instances\/cnn-v1@published\" data-path=\"end\/ad-slot-dynamic[0]\/items\" data-desktop-slot-id=\"ad_nat_btf_01\" data-mobile-slot-id=\"ad_nat_btf_01\" data-unselectable=\"true\">\n<div class=\"ad-slot__feedback ad-feedback-link-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-slot__ad-label\">That led to Sinner\u2019s ongoing ban being announced last week, but the three-time grand slam champion will still be eligible to compete at the French Open, the next grand slam on the tennis calendar.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog300053b6m14axv3cc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">\u201cIt\u2019s not a good image for our sport, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Djokovic told a news conference ahead of his first-round match at the Qatar Open.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog300063b6mwfgsdypj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">\u201cI would say a majority of the players that I\u2019ve talked to in the locker room \u2013 not just in the last few days but also the last few months \u2013 are not happy with the way this whole process has been handled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog300073b6mptw5ow0n@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">\u201cThe majority of the players don\u2019t feel that it\u2019s fair. The majority of the players feel like there is favoritism happening. And it appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers and whatnot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog300083b6mkfi12nmf@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">Speaking to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sport\/tennis\/articles\/c2030e0471vo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BBC Sport<\/a>\u00a0on Monday, British tennis player Liam Broady said that he felt the ban was intended to \u201cimpact Jannik\u2019s career as little as possible,\u201d adding: \u201cThe ban ends the day before the Rome Masters, which is the biggest tournament in his home country and the perfect preparation for him to then go and play the French Open.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image image__hide-placeholder image--eq-extra-small image--eq-small\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm7ad1jyr00033b6mmncq8mqv@published\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"AP24183555973370.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.692\" data-original-height=\"1384\" data-original-width=\"2000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ap24183555973370.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\"><picture class=\"image__picture\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ap24183555973370.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ap24183555973370.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ap24183555973370.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<div data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog300093b6mc3no3rxu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">\u201cI don\u2019t think he loses any (ranking) points or his number one spot either, so it\u2019s an interesting ban. I was speaking to some people earlier and they said it\u2019s kind of like a Premier League footballer being banned over the summer (when they don\u2019t play). It\u2019s a difficult one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog3000a3b6mkn7wp5jd@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">After his case first became public last year, Sinner revealed that his positive tests stemmed from \u201cinadvertent contamination of Clostebol\u201d through treatment from his physiotherapist. He said that his physiotherapist had been applying an over-the-counter spray to their own skin \u2013 not Sinner\u2019s \u2013 to treat a small wound.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog3000c3b6mj8tsxg0p@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">Initially avoiding suspension for the positive tests, Sinner was able to cement his position at the top of the world rankings and win grand slam titles at the 2024 US Open and this year\u2019s Australian Open.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog3000d3b6m5c52dsp4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">How tennis authorities handled the case, and also that of women\u2019s world No. 2\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cnn.com\/2024\/11\/28\/sport\/iga-swiatek-substance-ban-tennis-intl-spt\/index.html\">Iga \u015awi\u0105tek<\/a>, has drawn criticism. \u015awi\u0105tek accepted a one-month suspension last year after testing positive for the banned substance\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cnn.com\/2024\/01\/30\/sport\/trimetazidine-what-is-the-competition-banned-drug-that-russian-figure-skater-kamila-valieva-tested-positive-for\/index.html\">trimetazidine<\/a>, though the ITIA said that they found her \u201clevel of fault was considered to be at the lowest end of the range for \u2018No Significant Fault or Negligence.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog3000e3b6m8msz879m@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">Two-time grand slam champion\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cnn.com\/2024\/11\/29\/sport\/simona-halep-doping-iga-swiatek-tennis-spt-intl\/index.html\">Simona Halep<\/a>\u00a0criticized the \u201cbig difference in treatment\u201d she received \u2013 being handed a four-year ban by the ITIA in September 2023 after testing positive for banned substance Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open \u2013 compared to \u015awi\u0105tek. Halep maintained that her anti-doping violations were not intentional and, in March last year, CAS agreed and reduced the backdated ban to nine months, clearing her to return to the sport.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog3000g3b6mdqxs8iyh@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">In response to Halep\u2019s accusation of double standards, the ITIA told CNN at the time that it \u201cdeal(s) with each case based on the facts and evidence, not a player\u2019s name, ranking or nationality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog3000h3b6m90ol7c88@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"on\">Halep\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cnn.com\/2025\/02\/05\/sport\/simona-halep-retires-tennis-spt-intl\/index.html\">retired from the sport<\/a>\u00a0earlier this month, saying that it was \u201cvery hard\u201d to reach the high level of play she expected from herself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog3000i3b6milf5fwkz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"on\">\u201cI think right now, it\u2019s a ripe time for us to really address the system because the system and the structure obviously doesn\u2019t work for anti-doping,\u201d 24-time grand slam singles champion Djokovic said on Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog3000j3b6mwwdg59ki@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"on\">\u201cThe inconsistency is something that frustrates all the players,\u201d he added. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to treat every case individually or independently, which is what\u2019s happening, then there is no consistency, then there is no transparency \u2026 Right now, there is a lack of trust generally from tennis players, both male and female, towards WADA and the ITIA and the whole process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog3000k3b6mmxofijeg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"on\">Australian player Nick Kyrgios, meanwhile,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NickKyrgios\/status\/1890875975505678472\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said in a post on X<\/a>\u00a0that he received messages from \u201cmultiple players\u201d about \u201chow putrid this is\u201d after Sinner\u2019s three-month ban was announced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7adadzh00193b6mf14u0l7o@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"on\">An ITIA spokesperson told CNN on Tuesday: \u201cEach case is different, but the ITIA approaches them in the same way, irrespective of a player\u2019s ranking or status. We understand that anti-doping is a complex and sometimes confusing topic, and commit significant time and resources into providing education and support to players to help them understand the rules and how they apply to them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7aerb2p001e3b6mw98sjggc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"on\">\u201cWe actively encourage players and their support staff to speak with the ITIA about any issues, concerns, or queries they have about the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog3000l3b6mcmtfxfol@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"on\">Sinner\u2019s representatives declined to comment further when contacted by CNN.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog3000m3b6mtdexg1q9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">\u201cThis case had been hanging over me now for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run with a decision maybe only at the end of the year,\u201d Sinner said in a previous statement about the ban.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrog3000n3b6mgm9odqsz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">\u201cI have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realize WADA\u2019s strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love. On that basis I have accepted WADA\u2019s offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a 3-month sanction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7acrikk00003b6mg8yio7gr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">On Saturday, WADA said that it \u201caccepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7anph8v00003b6m9ingu4g7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">In a new statement to CNN on Tuesday, it said: \u201cWADA is satisfied that justice has been delivered in this case and that the sanction is appropriate for the violation that was committed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm7anqn5400043b6mhyzfz27g@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">\u201cWADA is pleased to have been able to deal with this matter in an open and transparent fashion with the facts of the case available and in the public domain for people to read. The fairness delivered in this unique case (in that the sanction fits the violation) shows that the system works very well.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0Novak Djokovic\u00a0believes that \u201cfavoritism\u201d is damaging tennis\u2019 anti-doping system in light of\u00a0Jannik Sinner\u2019s\u00a0three-month ban. On Saturday, it had emerged that world No. 1 Sinner accepted a ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) from February 9 until May 4 to settle a case which had lingered over tennis for months after the 2025 Australian Open [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[19,49],"class_list":["post-734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-featured","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=734"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":736,"href":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734\/revisions\/736"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futuredesignteam.in\/client\/politicus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}