Novak Djokovic has said that the doping controversy involving Jannik Sinner will likely stay with the Italian player for the rest of his career. Speaking to Piers Morgan, Djokovic described the short length and timing of Sinner’s three-month suspension earlier this year as “odd” and suggested that questions about how the case was handled would not go away.
Sinner was banned in February 2025 after a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency, which accepted that the banned substance clostebol had entered his system by accident through massages from his physiotherapist during the Indian Wells tournament in March 2024. He returned to competition in May without missing any Grand Slam events.
Djokovic said he did not believe Sinner had taken the substance intentionally, but he argued that the difference in treatment between Sinner and lesser-known players would continue to follow him, just as the fallout from Djokovic’s own deportation from Australia in 2022 still follows him. He added that the handling of the case lacked transparency and seemed convenient, as the ban fell between major tournaments.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency has maintained that all doping cases are treated equally, based solely on evidence and facts, without regard to a player’s ranking or nationality. Djokovic, however, said many players, both male and female, had expressed concerns that Sinner received favourable treatment compared to others in similar situations.
