Djokovic on the Sinner affair: "Many players think there was favouritism".
Novak Djokovic is about to make his return to competition. After dropping out of the Australian Open semi-finals against Alexander Zverev, the Serb, who has suffered a hamstring injury, will make his first appearance at the ATP 500 tournament in Doha this Tuesday against Matteo Berrettini.
During his pre-tournament press conference, the former world number 1 was predictably asked about the doping case involving Jannik Sinner, who was suspended for three months after testing positive for clostebol just under a year ago during Indian Wells.
"It would seem that you can have an influence on the outcome if you're a top player and have access to the best lawyers.
Sinner and Swiatek are innocent, that's been proven. Jannik will have a three-month suspension due to negligence on the part of several members of his team who work on the circuit.
It's also something that I, and many other players, find strange. I've spoken to several players in the dressing room, not just over the last few days but over the last few months.
Most of them are unhappy with the way the whole process has been conducted and don't think it's been fair. Many believe there has been favoritism.
We saw with the cases of Simona Halep, Tara Moore, and other players who are perhaps less well known, that they had to wait several years for their cases to be resolved or were suspended for a long time.
I think it's the right time to do something and tackle the system, because it's clear that the structure doesn't work that way," Djokovic told Il Tennis Italiano.
Deal with it Novak