The more he earns, the less he has his tongue in his pocket. Serbian Novak Djokovic, world number 1, winner of three Grand Slam and Masters tournaments in 2023, lamented on Thursday having to undergo an anti-doping test shortly before a Davis Cup match in Malaga (Spain). ). This Saturday, two days after the controversy initiated by the Serbian, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) defended its procedures.
“I was notified that I was chosen for the doping control while I was preparing to go on the court an hour and a half later,” denounced the Serb, Thursday evening, after his decisive victory in the second singles against the Briton Cameron Norrie (6-4, 6-4), during the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup. At the same time, Djokovic designated an ITIA official in the room who had been following him, according to him, “for several hours already”.
“They informed me after the warm-up. Now, I have a routine, I just have to prepare myself to go into a match, and I don’t need that distraction,” added the 36-year-old, denouncing a “completely illogical” situation to which he does not had never been confronted. “I don’t need anyone to come and take my blood, take my urine, or think about whether I will be able to donate my urine at that moment or not. »
“I have always supported controls”
On Saturday, shortly before Serbia began its Davis Cup semi-final against Italy, the International Tennis Integrity Agency defended its anti-doping procedures to AFP.
“Due to the format of team competitions, including the Davis Cup, teams can be notified that they have been selected for doping control before the matches begin and provide their samples when ready,” he said. explained an ITIA spokesperson. Between notification and delivery of the sample, they are monitored by a member of the anti-doping team. »
Djokovic also reaffirmed, Thursday evening, the need for the fight against doping. “I have always supported controls, for myself or for everyone else. If you have to do it a hundred times, you do it a hundred times, no problem, but never before a match,” the Serb implored.
Several past cases have shown that it is essential, for the authorities responsible for the fight against doping, to carry out unannounced tests in order to detect prohibited products, some of which may be undetectable a few hours after taking them. In cycling, for example, it is not uncommon for riders to be tested early in the morning, before the start of an event.
