Djokovic Hits At 'Double Standards' In Tennis

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic has hit out at perceived double standards in tennis doping investigations as he claimed the sport is being "kept in the dark" over the Jannik Sinner case.

Djokovic, now being coached by Sir Andy Murray, added his voice to concerns after Nick Kyrgios said this week that cases involving grand-slam tournament winners Sinner and Iga Swiatek were "disgusting" for tennis.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) charged both Sinner and former women’s world No 1 Swiatek with anti-doping breaches earlier in the year.

Djokovic, eyeing a record 25th major title at next month’s Australian Open, teams up Kyrgios in doubles at the Brisbane International this week and shares some of his worries amid the cloud above their sport.

"I’m not questioning whether [Sinner] took the banned substance intentionally or not," Djokovic said at a press conference in Brisbane last 29 December. "We’ve had plenty of players in the past and currently under suspension for not even testing positive to banned substances.

"Some players with lower rankings waiting for their case to be resolved for over a year. I’ve been really frustrated ... to see we’ve been kept in the dark for at least five months [on the Sinner case]."

Sinner tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March but avoided a ban after the ITIA ruled he was not at fault. The World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed against the decision. Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension in November after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.

Djokovic took aim at a lack of transparency from tennis authorities in general regarding doping breaches. "The ATP hasn’t really talked in depth about it. Why have they kept that case away from the public? We see Simona Halep’s case on the WTA Tour, now Iga Swiatek's case," Djokovic said.

"It's not a good image for our sport. I'm just questioning the way the system works and why certain players aren’t treated the same as others. Maybe some ranking reasons are behind it, or some players have more financial backing and stronger legal teams to tackle these cases."

Djokovic is the top seed in the Brisbane International this week, making his first appearance at the event since 2009. He spoke separately of it being "strange" to have his former rival Murray working as his coach but he believes he will benefit from the Scot’s "fresh look" at his game.