🔗 Share this article Djokovic Issues Warning to Jannik Sinner: Doping Ban Will Hang Over Him Like a "Cloud" Novak Djokovic has cautioned Jannik Sinner that his three-month ban for doping will persist over his career like a "cloud" – and raised doubts about the scheduling of the penalty in the previous season. Details of the Suspension Sinner completed a three-month prohibition in early 2025 after the World Anti-Doping Agency approved his account that a prohibited performance-enhancing substance, the steroid clostebol, had entered his system accidentally. "That cloud will follow him just as the cloud of Covid will follow me, for the remainder of our respective careers," the champion remarked in a discussion on a popular YouTube program. "It is a situation where, it was so significant, and when that happens, over time it will fade, but I believe it won't fully vanish. There's always going to be a specific segment of individuals that will always try to bring that forward." Djokovic's Perspective Djokovic expressed belief that Sinner, his frequent training companion, "didn't do it on purpose", but he proceeded to question how the player arranged to complete his ban without missing a grand slam. "The absence of openness, the irregularity, the convenience [of] the ban occurring between major events, so he avoids skipping important competitions – it's just it was very, very odd," Djokovic added. Wider Player Reactions "I am dissatisfied with how the case was being handled and it was evident numerous fellow athletes, both male and female, who had comparable circumstances coming out in the media and asserting it represented favorable handling."