The tennis world was hit by two huge doping controversies in 2024. First, it was Jannik Sinner as the scandal surfaced during his victorious US Open title run. Just a week before the Grand Slam event started, the ITIA announced that he twice tested positive for clostebol in March. But then an independent tribunal accepted his defence that it was unintentional contamination. But in September, the WADA appealed the verdict to CAS, which was accepted. The CAS verdict will be passed next year.

Then it was Iga Swiatek in late November, as the ITIA announced that the Polish ace’s sample from August came back positive, due to unintentional contamination from melatonin pills, which was manufactured and sold in Poland. She was provisionally suspended for 22 days after the US Open, and then also served a one-match ban, which ended this month.

Commenting on the recent doping controversies, Novak Djokovic expressed his frustration with the way things were being handled. “I’ve been really frustrated … to see we’ve been kept in the dark for at least five months (on the Jannik case),” he said, at the Brisbane International.

“The ATP hasn’t really talked in depth about it. Why have they kept that case away from the public?

“We see Simona Halep’s case on the WTA Tour, now Iga’s case. It’s not a good image for our sport.”

Hinting at corruption in the investigations, he pointed that players were treated differently in similar cases. “I’m just questioning the way the system works and why certain players aren’t treated the same as others. Maybe some ranking reasons are behind it or some players have more financial backing and stronger legal teams to tackle these cases,” he stated in a public call-out on the ITIA.

Meanwhile, the ITIA also revealed a report, where it showed that Swiatek submitted a list of 14 medications or supplements she was using. After ITIA’s decision on Swiatek, Simona Halep criticised the federation of double standards, comparing it to her treatment.