Novak Djokovic points out 'many red flags' in Jannik Sinner's doping case

Tuesday, 11 November 2025 at 19:15

byErik Virostko

Novak Djokovic has never been afraid to share his honest opinions, and he was very candid when discussing Jannik Sinner's doping case.

Although it might appear that Sinner's doping case is a thing of the past, it still comes into the spotlight every now and then. At the end of the day, the highest-ranked player on the ATP Tour was banned from competing because of having a prohibited substance in his body, that's something that is hard to forget for many fans.

It's not hard to forget only for hardcore tennis fans, but also for some public figures, such as Piers Morgan, who recently had the chance to interview Djokovic despite their previous disagreements.

Morgan was one of Djokovic's loudest critics when the Serbian player was deported from Australia three years ago. Today, however, he changed his opinion, apologized to Djokovic, and interviewed the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

At the end of their interview, Djokovic mentioned Sinner, and Morgan used the opportunity to discuss the Italian's doping case. As with Djokovic's deportation from Australia, Morgan has heavily criticized the handling of Sinner's doping case, alleging preferential treatment because of his status. Even that, however, didn't stop him from posing with Sinner at the Six Kings Slam.

During the interview with Djokovic, the 60-year-old journalist asked the 10-time Australian Open champion about Sinner's doping case, and Djokovic shared his honest thoughts, saying the cloud of the doping case will likely follow Sinner, as the cloud of his decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic has followed him.

"That cloud will follow him, as the cloud of COVID will follow me, for the rest of his career. It was something that was so major, when it happens, over time it will fade, but I don't think it will disappear. There is always going to be a certain group of people who will try to bring that forward."

Djokovic explained that he has known Sinner for a decade now, as they used to practice together at Riccardo Piatti's academy when the Italian player was still a teenager. Thanks to that experience, he has always seen Sinner as a genuine person.

"Look, I've known Jannik since he was 14 years of age, because his first serious coach, who was working with him in those crucial years, was my coach as well, Riccardo Piatti. And I used to train quite a bit at Piatti's academy in Italy, and I was practicing with Sinner when he was a junior, and I like him a lot, because he was always skinny like I was, and he always came across very genuine."

Despite being quite open about liking Sinner as a person, Djokovic was still honest in his assessment of the four-time Grand Slam champion's doping case, pointing out the red flags he saw.

"So when this happened, I was shocked, honestly. I do think that he didn’t do it on purpose. But the way the whole case was handled is so many red flags. The lack of transparency, the inconsistency, the convenience of the ban coming between the Slams, so he doesn’t miss out… It’s just… it was very, very odd. So I really don’t like how that case was being handled."

"You could hear so many other players, both male and female, who had some similar situations coming out in the media and complaining that it was a preferable treatment."

"I want to believe him. Knowing my history with him, I think he didn't do it on purpose, but, of course, he is responsible. Because those are the rules, you are responsible when something like this happens. And so when you see someone for something very similar or the same being banned banned years, and he's banned for three months or whatever it was, it's not right."

At the same time, Djokovic explained why he feels compassion for Sinner and also praised the 24-year-old for competing at the highest level despite having to deal with the doping case and the questions and pressure it brings.

"It's not easy for him. I do have a sense of empathy and compassion for him. I think he's handled the storm in the media that keeps coming back every once in a while. He's handling that very maturely and steadily, and kudos to him for that. And in the midst of all of that, he's still dominating and playing incredible, winning Slams."