Djokovic faults tennis's 'lack of consistency' after Sinner ruling - ESPN

NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic gets why some tennis players question whether there's a double-standard in the sport after Jannik Sinner was not suspended despite twice testing positive for steroids, and said Saturday he agrees that there is «a lack of consistency.»

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

The ruling was announced Tuesday, less than a week before Sinner begins the U.S. Open as the No. 1-seeded man. Djokovic, who won the tournament last year for his men's-record 24th Grand Slam singles title, is the No. 2 seed.

«I understand the frustration of the players is there, because of a lack of consistency,» Djokovic said. «As I understood, his case was cleared the moment basically it was announced.»

Some players commented on social media after the news broke, wondering if Sinner caught a break because of his standing as one of the best players in the game.

«We see a lack of standardized and clear protocols. I can understand the sentiments of a lot of players that are questioning whether they are treated the same,» Djokovic said.

Djokovic said the Professional Tennis Players Association that he co-founded advocates on behalf of players for clear and fair protocols and standardized approaches to cases.

«Many players… have had similar or pretty much the same cases, where they haven't had the same outcome,» Djokovic said, «and now the question is whether it is a case of the funds — whether a player can afford to pay a significant amount of money for a law firm that would then more efficiently represent his or her case.»

Carlos Alcaraz,