Djokovic Issues Caution to Jannik Sinner: Suspension Will Follow Him Like a "Shadow"
Novak Djokovic has cautioned Jannik Sinner that his three-month doping suspension will linger over his career like a "cloud" – and raised doubts about the timing of the sanction in the previous season.
The Ban Explained
Sinner completed a three-month suspension in early 2025 after the global anti-doping body accepted his explanation that a banned anabolic steroid, clostebol, had entered his system accidentally.
"This shadow will trail him just as the Covid controversy will follow me, for the rest of his, or my career," the champion remarked in a discussion on Piers Morgan: Uncensored.
"It's just something that, it was so significant, and when that happens, over time it will fade, but I don't think it will disappear. There's always going to be a certain group of people that will always try to bring that forward."
Djokovic's Perspective
The Serbian player stated that Sinner, his frequent training companion, "had no intentional involvement", but he then scrutinized how the Italian managed to complete his ban without sitting out any major tournaments.
"The absence of openness, the irregularity, the convenience [of] the ban coming between the slams, so he avoids skipping important competitions – it's just it was very, very odd," Djokovic added.
Wider Player Reactions
"I really don't like how the case was being handled and it was evident numerous fellow athletes, across both tours, who had comparable circumstances voicing their concerns publicly and complaining that it was a preferable treatment."