Novak Djokovic calls for overhaul of tennis' anti-doping system following ‘unfair’ bans for Sinner and Swiatek

Serb says majority of players ‘feel like there is favouritism happening’

Novak Djokovic speaks to reporters at the Qatar Open. EPA

Novak Djokovic has called for an overhaul of tennis' anti-doping system and said the majority of players believe favouritism is at play following the lenient suspensions meted out to Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek.

Sinner on Saturday accepted a three-month doping ban after testing positive for anabolic agent clostebol last year, while Swiatek, who is in the UAE to compete in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, served a one-month ban at the end of 2024 when the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) showed up in her test.

While Djokovic was not suggesting that either of the Grand Slam champions had intentionally done anything wrong, he did say there were inconsistencies in their treatment at the hands of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

"The two cases of Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner have attracted a lot of attention and it's not a good image for our sport," the 24-time Grand Slam champion said at the Qatar Open on Monday.

"A majority of the players don't feel that [the process is] fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening.

"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," Djokovic added.

Jannik Sinner accepted a three-month ban for a failed drugs test. AFP

Many observers have raised questions over Sinner's case. The Italian's suspension will end just before the Rome Masters in early May and will also allow him to compete in the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open.

Djokovic, who co-founded the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) as a voice for the athletes in the game, said there was a widespread mistrust of the entire doping process among his fellow players.

"I think right now it's the ripe time for us to address the system, because the system and the structure obviously doesn't work on anti-doping, it's obvious," the 37-year-old Serbian said.

"I hope in the near future the governing bodies are going to come together, of our Tours and the tennis ecosystem, and try to find a more effective way to deal with these processes.

"It's inconsistent and it appears to be very unfair."

Sinner's agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), who had appealed when the Italian was cleared without punishment last year, recognised his explanation that tainted products used by his masseur had been behind the positive test.

"Sinner got suspended for three months because of the mistakes and the negligence of his team members that are working on the [ATP] Tour, so that's also something that I personally, and a lot of players, find a bit strange," Djokovic said.

Iga Swiatek served a one-month suspension at the end of 2024. EPA

Djokovic pointed out that it looked like very different processes were followed by the ITIA in doping cases involving the likes of Romanian Simona Halep and Briton Tara Moore.

"There are so many inconsistencies between the cases," he said.

"We have 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.

"We have to bear in mind that Sinner and Swiatek at the time were number ones in the world when we had those announcements happening," he added.