Djokovic criticizes ‘lack of consistency’ in tennis after Sinner ruling

NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic understands why some tennis players are wondering if there is a double standard in the sport after Jannik Sinner was not suspended despite twice testing positive for steroids. He said Saturday he agrees there is “a lack of consistency.”

Sinner tested positive for an anabolic steroid twice in March, but the International Tennis Integrity Agency determined that the banned performance-enhancing drug entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist.

The ruling was announced Tuesday, less than a week before Sinner begins the US Open as the top seed. Djokovic, who won the tournament last year for a record 24th Grand Slam singles title, is the second seed.

“I understand the frustration of the players, because of the lack of consistency,” Djokovic said. “As I understood it, his case was resolved at the time it was actually announced.”

After the news broke, some players reacted on social media, wondering if Sinner had gotten lucky because he is one of the best players in the sport.

“We see a lack of standardized and clear protocols. I can understand the feelings of many players who wonder if they are being treated the same,” Djokovic said.

Djokovic said he has created an organization on behalf of the Professional Tennis Players Association that advocates for clear and fair protocols and standardized approaches to cases on behalf of players.

“Many players have had similar or very similar cases where they didn’t have the same outcome,” Djokovic said, “and now the question is whether it’s a question of money – whether a player can afford to pay a significant amount of money for a law firm that can then handle his or her case more efficiently.”

Carlos Alcaraz, the 2022 US Open winner, said Sinner’s case is a delicate one.

“I think there’s something behind it that a lot of people don’t know. I don’t even know it myself. Ultimately, it’s something very difficult to talk about,” Alcaraz said.

“He eventually tested positive, but there must be a reason why he could continue playing that we don’t know about. So I can’t say much about it. He was found innocent and so we have Jannik in the tournament, so there’s not much to talk about and I’m not in a position to add anything more.”