a few months later Novak Djokovic shouted favoritism On how professional tennis handled penalties for positive doping tests for world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek this year, Aryna Sabalenka gives her opinion on the situation and what players have to deal with in relation to drug tests.
Sabalenka, currently No. 1 in the women’s rankings, will face 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios in a Battle of the Sexes match on December 28 in Dubai. The pair appeared on Piers Morgan this week to preview the competition later this month, before the conversation turned to Sinner.
The culprit was suspended for 3 months. It was revealed earlier this year that he did not miss any Grand Slam tournaments because trace amounts of clostebol were detected in his sample last year. Sinner tested positive on March 10, 2024, during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, and then tested positive again eight days later.
Sinner and his team claimed the samples came from a massage by a trainer who used the substance to treat a cut on his finger. The International Tennis Integrity Authority accepted this explanation and chose not to proceed with any charges against Sinner. However, the World Anti-Doping Agency objected to the decision and called for the Italian to be suspended for at least a year.
“We don’t really know what’s going on there,” Sabalenka said. “I believe in clean sport and I believe that everyone should be treated the same. But at the same time, to be honest, I don’t believe there was anything there. I try to be careful about everything and I’m overprotective of myself after some of the incidents, because you could eat something in a restaurant and test positive.”
Earlier this year, Djokovic said of Sinner’s doping allegations: “The cloud will follow him, just like the cloud of coronavirus is following me.” In response to Djokovic’s comments, Sabalenka said she wanted “everyone to be treated the same” and raised a similar case regarding Swiatek’s doping situation.
Kyrgios remains bullish on his opinion of Sinner.
“The important thing Novak said is that whether it’s there or not, he still has a responsibility,” Kyrgios said. “The way this case was handled as a whole was very… not very good for the sport. He was our No. 1 tennis player in the world. The media in our sport at the time was not good. I was responsible for that. I should have been communicating with the players online. The people who are playing against him, why are we being kept from that information? We need to know exactly what is going on. Why is the trial being held behind closed doors?”
“At the same time, the way Jannik bounced back from that was amazing. There are differences between me and Jannik Sinner, but he came back through the suspension and almost won in Rome. He took time off and got better. There is no doubt that he will be one of the best players of all time.”
Sinner advances to the finals Carlos Alcaraz wins French Open with another epic 5-setter After receiving a temporary suspension, she won this year’s Wimbledon. He boasts four career majors, all from the beginning of the 2024 season.
