Novak Djokovic Wants 'Clear Protocols' After Ruling on Jannik Sinner Failed PED Tests

Novak Djokovic is looking for answers after the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced it wouldn't ban Jannik Sinner despite him testing positive for steroids twice.

Djokovic said there is a "lack of consistency" in how the International Tennis Integrity Agency determines punishments.

"We see a lack of standardized and clear protocols," Djokovic said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "I can understand the sentiments of a lot of players that are questioning whether they are treated the same."

Sinner tested positive for an anabolic steroid twice in March but was deemed eligible to play a week before the U.S. Open because the International Tennis Integrity Agency ruled that the banned substance entered his system through a massage from his physiotherapist.

"I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me," Sinner wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday. "I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA's anti-doping programme and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance."

Many players participating in this week's U.S. Open have called into question whether Sinner avoided suspension because he is the world No. 1.

"Can't imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now," Denis Shapovalov wrote on X.

He added: "Different rules for different players."

Sinner's complicated case will certainly be a talking point for the next few weeks, and conversations will likely only intensify if he can win the U.S. Open this week.