Aryna Sabalenka acknowledges no one outside Jannik Sinner and the anti-doping officials knows what exactly happened in the Italian's case, but highlights that she doesn't think the reigning Wimbledon champion was cleared because of his status in the game.
In August 2024, the ITIA announced that Sinner twice failed a doping test during the Sunshine Double. However, the former world No. 1 didn't get banned after the ITIA's investigation concluded that he didn't intentionally or knowingly take a banned substance. What happened next is well-documented - the WADA stepped in after some major public backlash - and the 24-year-old ultimately settled on a three-month doping ban, which run between early February and early May.
Last month, Novak Djokovic was a guest on the Piers Morgan Uncensored. And while the record 24-time Grand Slam champion didn't want to accuse Sinner or the anti-doping authorities of anything, the Serb noted that the public would never forget the Italian's doping case.
That cloud will follow him as the cloud of COVID will follow me for the rest of his or my career in this," Djokovic said last month.
Sabalenka on the Sinner doping case: I don't believe there was something in there
Ahead of her match against Nick Kyrgios, Sabalenka also joined Morgan for a conversation and she was told about Djokovic's comments and asked to share her views on the Sinner doping case.
Well, we're not sure what actually going on there. I believe in clean sport, and I also believe that everyone have to be treated the same-But at the same time, I don't believe that there was something in there, to be honest. Me, I'm really trying to be careful with everything and overprotecting myself after a couple of cases, because you can eat something in the restaurant and then you test positive." WTA world No. 1 Sabalenka said.
Sinner has maintained his innocence throughout the entire process and refused to get into a war of words with any of his colleagues who thought that something suspicious occurred in the handling of his case.
