Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner
The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) has made its stance on Jannik Sinner’s doping ban clear with a strongly-worded message.
Novak Djokovic founded the organisation, which is a players’ union, in 2020.
Sinner has been banned from tennis for three months after his legal team reached a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The 23-year-old Italian tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol twice in March 2024 — during and after the Indian Wells Masters.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) revealed in August that the world No 1 had avoided a ban after an independent tribunal ruled he carried “no fault or negligence.”
The tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the clostebol had entered his body by accidental contamination when he received a massage from his former physio, Giacomo Naldi, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his finger.
In September, WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the verdict, seeking to impose a ban of between one and two years on Sinner.
The case was set to be heard from April 16-17, but it was announced on Saturday that Sinner had avoided the prospect of a longer suspension by agreeing a deal with WADA.
The three-time Grand Slam winner’s ban period runs from February 9 until May 4 (his suspension also includes four days previously served while he was under a provisional suspension).
In a statement, the PTPA claimed there has been inconsistent treatment for players who have failed drug tests and asserted that there is “unacceptable bias.”
“No matter who you root for, several things are now clear,” the statement read. “The ‘system’ is not a system. It’s a club.
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“Supposed case-by-case discretion is, in fact, merely cover for tailored deals, unfair treatment, and inconsistent rulings.
“It’s not just the different results for different players. It’s the lack of transparency. The lack of process. The lack of consistency. The lack of credibility in the alphabet soup of agencies charged with regulating our sports and athletes.
“The lack of commitment from the ATP, WTA, Grand Slams, ITIA, and WADA to reform and create a fair and transparent system going forward.
“This bias is unacceptable for all athletes and shows a deep disrespect for every sport and its fans. It’s time for change. And we will change it.”
Djokovic is yet to personally comment on Sinner’s ban, but he has previously backed Nick Kyrgios’ strong comments on the Italian’s case.
“Nick has spoken very well about the whole Jannik doping case, and he’s right about the transparency and the inconsistency of the protocols and the comparisons between the various cases,” Djokovic said at the Brisbane International in December.
“We have seen many players in the past, and also currently, who have been suspended for not even having undergone anti-doping tests and for not having communicated their whereabouts, and some lower-ranked players who have been waiting for their cases to be resolved for more than a year.
“I don’t question whether the prohibited substance was taken intentionally [by Sinner] or not. I believe in clean sport, I believe that the player will do everything possible to play fair.
“I’ve known Jannik since he was very young, so he doesn’t seem like the type of person who would do something like that.”
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