Novak Djokovic’s struggles at the Qatar Open deepened on Wednesday as he was eliminated from the doubles competition alongside partner Fernando Verdasco. Just a day after his surprising singles loss to Matteo Berrettini, Djokovic and Verdasco fell 7-5, 6-4 in the quarter-finals to second-seeded duo Henry Patten and Harri Heliövaara.
Djokovic had teamed up with Verdasco to honor the Spanish veteran in his final tournament before retirement, but their run was cut short. The back-to-back defeats marked a disappointing return to the court for Djokovic, who was playing his first event since the Australian Open.
Djokovic Dismisses Injury Concerns After Singles Exit
Addressing reporters after his loss to Berrettini, Djokovic denied that his hamstring—previously torn at the Australian Open—was a factor in his performance.
“I didn’t have any pain or discomfort, I was outplayed by just a better player today,” Djokovic said. “I wasn’t at my desired level, and it could be that I’m still not moving the way I want to move, but, I mean, I played without pain, so there is no excuse. He was just the better player. I think he played a master-class match, to be honest.”
Djokovic Criticizes Jannik Sinner’s Doping Ban Settlement
Djokovic’s loss came shortly after he made strong remarks about Jannik Sinner’s controversial three-month doping ban. Sinner, currently serving his suspension, tested positive for a banned steroid in March 2023 but reached a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after attributing the contamination to his physio’s mishandling of a topical spray.
Djokovic expressed frustration over how the case was handled, suggesting that top players with access to high-level legal representation could influence outcomes.
“It’s not a good image for our sport, that’s for sure. I would say a majority of the players that I’ve talked to in the locker room—not just in the last few days but also the last few months—are not happy with the way this whole process has been handled,” Djokovic stated.
“The majority of the players don’t feel that it’s fair. The majority of the players feel like there is favoritism happening. And it appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers and whatnot.”
WADA Lawyer Provides More Details on Sinner’s Case
On Wednesday, WADA’s general counsel, Ross Wenzel, offered further clarification on why Sinner’s suspension was limited to three months. According to Wenzel, an extensive scientific investigation determined that Sinner’s two positive tests were inconsistent with intentional doping or micro-dosing.
“There was an absolutely proven version of the facts from start to finish,” Wenzel stated. “What happened is very clear. But also, from a scientific point of view, there has been an investigation. WADA consulted several experts with the same result. The two positives of March 2024 are simply not compatible with intentional doping, not even through micro-dosing.”
Wenzel also revealed, for the first time, that all of Sinner’s drug tests from the 12 months leading up to the positive results were re-examined, with no traces of the banned substance found.
“All samples of the tests taken by Sinner in the 12 months prior to the two positives in March last year were checked. The purpose was to look for every similar clue, every possible trace of the incriminating substance in all samples. The response from all laboratories on such a large number of samples was that nothing was found.
“Whatever people may think of this case, it is clear that this is not a case of doping or misconduct. I think it is necessary to understand this fact well.”
Sinner’s suspension is set to end on May 4, 2025, and he is expected to return to action at the Italian Open.
