The fallout from Jannik Sinner's controversial three-month ban following two positive tests for a banned substance last year has some of the tennis world's biggest stars calling for more accountability.
Novak Djokovic was asked about the situation ahead of the Qatar Open this week, a tournament Sinner was due to compete in before the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced its final ruling.
"Right now there is a lack of trust generally from the tennis players, both male and female, toward WADA and ITIA and the whole process," he said.
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"It's not a good image for our sport, that's for sure," he continued. "There's a consensus, or I would say majority of the players that I've talked to in the locker room that are not happy with the way this whole process has been handled."
WADA announced over the weekend that it agreed with the conclusion of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which found that Sinner had not intentionally used a banned substance for competitive gain.
Sinner, 23, tested positive for low levels of metabolite of clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid that can be used for ophthalmological and dermatological use, in March 2024. Eight days after the Indian Wells tournament, Sinner tested positive again in an out-of-competition sample.
TOP-RANKED TENNIS PRO JANNIK SINNER ACCEPTS THREE-MONTH DOPING BAN WEEKS AFTER AUSTRALIAN OPEN VICTORY
According to the ITIA's initial findings, Sinner explained that he had tested positive after receiving a massage from a trainer who had used an over-the-counter spray that contained clostebol to treat a small wound after cutting his own finger.
"WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage," their statement read.
WADA initially was seeking a lengthy ban of at least a year, but agreed to a three-month ban explaining that "an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage's negligence."
Sinner won two Grand Slams after testing positive - the 2024 U.S. Open and the Australian Open last month. His suspension will lift May 4, meaning that he will not miss any of the remaining Grand Slam tournaments this season.
Djokovic called on both agencies to overhaul their process inlight of Sinner's ban, saying the current structure "obviously doesn't work" and appears to lend itself to "favoritism."
"A majority of the players don't feel that it's fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favoritism 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."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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