Novak Djokovic recently took a jab at the ITIA regarding their investigation into the doping issues involving Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek. The Serbian star didn't hold back, expressing his frustration with the ATP for not creating better opportunities for tennis players to earn as much as athletes in other sports.

At a press conference during the Brisbane International, he stated, “We have a problem there. The structure of the ATP is such that players only have 50% representation. There are often conflicts of interest between tournaments and players. We want different things. In major American sports like the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, the revenue split is around 50% or even higher, while ours is significantly lower. That’s a fact.”

Djokovic previously established the Professional Tennis Players’ Association to tackle these issues. In a past interview with a CBS show, he mentioned, “Players ranked around 200 or lower are really struggling. They can’t pay for a coach, travel expenses, and often miss tournaments. Many talented players who could achieve great things end up leaving the sport because they just can’t make it work.”

Recently, when Djokovic took a stand against the ITIA, he questioned why tennis players were treated differently in similar doping cases. He also suggested that players like Sinner and Swiatek might have had better financial support and access to top-notch lawyers.

Sinner's doping issue popped up during his amazing run to win the US Open 2024. Just a week before the tournament, the ITIA disclosed that the Italian player had tested positive for clostebol twice back in March. However, an independent tribunal accepted his argument that it was a case of accidental contamination. In September, WADA decided to challenge that ruling with CAS, and they agreed to hear the case. We’ll find out the CAS decision later this year.

On the other hand, Swiatek's doping situation emerged in November when the ITIA revealed that her sample from August tested positive due to accidental contamination from melatonin pills. She faced a provisional suspension for 22 days and then received a one-month ban.

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