Djokovic wants 'clear protocols' over doping cases

Novak Djokovic has called for "clear protocols" and "standardised approaches" to tennis doping cases pinch Jannik Sinner having escaped a prohibition aft testing affirmative for a banned substance.

The world number 1 doubly tested affirmative for clostebol - a steroid that tin beryllium utilized to build musculus wide - successful March.

The Italian was cleared of responsibility aliases negligence by a tribunal past week, pinch nan International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) uncovering Sinner had been inadvertently contaminated pinch nan constituent by physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi.

Naldi had been applying an over-the-counter spray - fixed to him by fittingness trainer Umberto Ferrara - to a trim connected his ain manus earlier past carrying retired treatments connected Sinner.

The 23-year-old, who is no longer moving pinch nan pair, was fixed an automatic provisional suspension erstwhile he tested affirmative but was capable to support playing aft successfully appealing against it.

Some players person suggested Sinner received typical curen and, speaking earlier nan US Open, world number 2 Djokovic said: "I understand nan vexation of nan players is location because of a deficiency of consistency.

"As I understood, his lawsuit was cleared nan infinitesimal fundamentally it was announced. But I deliberation 5 aliases six months [had] passed since nan news [of nan affirmative tests] was brought to him and his team.

"So, yeah, location is simply a batch of issues successful nan system," added nan 24-time Grand Slam champion. "We spot a deficiency of standardised and clear protocols. I tin understand nan sentiments of a batch of players that are questioning whether they are treated nan same.

"Hopefully nan governing bodies of our athletics will beryllium capable to study from this lawsuit and person a amended attack for nan future. I deliberation collectively location has to beryllium a change."

The determination not to punishment Sinner pursuing nan affirmative tests has been criticised connected societal media by a number of players including Australian Nick Kyrgios, Britain's Liam Broady and Canada's Denis Shapovalov.

Australian Open champion Sinner will beryllium nan apical seed astatine nan US Open, nan last Grand Slam of nan year, which originates connected Monday.

"Many players - without naming immoderate of them - person had akin aliases beautiful overmuch nan aforesaid cases, wherever they haven't had nan aforesaid outcome," added Serbia's Djokovic, 37.

"Now nan mobility is whether it is simply a lawsuit of nan funds, whether a subordinate tin spend to salary a important magnitude of money for a rule patient that would past much efficiently correspond his aliases her case.

"I don't know. Is that a lawsuit aliases not? That's thing really I consciousness for illustration we person to collectively analyse more, to look into nan strategy and understand really these cases don't happen, meaning not nan lawsuit itself, but really we tin standardise everything truthful that each player, sloppy of his ranking aliases position aliases profile, is capable to get nan aforesaid benignant of treatment."