Novak Djokovic will get why some tennis gamers query whether or not there’s a double-standard within the sport after Jannik Sinner was not suspended regardless of twice testing constructive for steroids, and mentioned Saturday he agrees that there’s “a scarcity of consistency.”
Sinner examined constructive twice in March for an anabolic steroid, however the Worldwide Tennis Integrity Company decided the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally by way of a therapeutic massage from his physiotherapist.
The ruling was introduced Tuesday, lower than per week earlier than Sinner begins the U.S. Open as the primary seed. Djokovic, who gained the match final 12 months for his males’s-record twenty fourth Grand Slam singles title, is the No. 2 seed.
“I perceive the frustration of the gamers is there, due to a scarcity of consistency,” Djokovic mentioned. “As I understood, his case was cleared the second mainly it was introduced.”
Some gamers commented on social media after the information broke, questioning if Sinner caught a break due to his standing as top-of-the-line gamers within the sport.
“We see a scarcity of standardized and clear protocols. I can perceive the emotions of a variety of gamers which can be questioning whether or not they’re handled the identical,” Djokovic mentioned.
Djokovic mentioned the Skilled Tennis Gamers Affiliation that he co-founded advocates on behalf of gamers for clear and truthful protocols and standardized approaches to instances.
“Many gamers … have had related or just about the identical instances, the place they haven’t had the identical consequence,” Djokovic mentioned, “and now the query is whether or not it’s a case of the funds — whether or not a participant can afford to pay a big amount of cash for a legislation agency that will then extra effectively symbolize his or her case.”
Carlos Alcaraz, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, mentioned Sinner’s case was a fragile difficulty.
“I feel there’s one thing behind this that lots of people doesn’t know. I don’t even know. In the long run it’s one thing very troublesome to speak about,” Alcaraz mentioned.
“In the long run, he examined constructive, however there should be a motive that allowed him to maintain taking part in that we don’t know. So I can not speak loads about it. He was declared harmless and so now we have Jannik within the match, and so there’s not a lot to speak about and I’m in no place so as to add anything.”