Novak Djokovic’s Doping Test Controversy Put Under the Bed as ITIA Issues Clarification Over Bizarre Davis Cup Mishap

It is no news that Novak Djokovic is not happy with the way the authorities conduct anti-doping tests. He has consistently raised his voice against this issue over the years. Despite his fervent protests, the anti-doping issue hit him recently when he was about to play at the Davis Cup. Before his match against Great Britain, he was haggled by the authorities to provide blood and urine samples for an unscheduled test.

This, unsurprisingly, frustrated the 24-time Grand Slam champ, as he shared his disappointment over the carelessness of the anti-doping authorities. However, recently, ITIA released a statement from their side about the incident that clears the air a little for tennis fans.

ITIA clears the air on their testing rules and Novak Djokovic’s disppointment

After Djokovic was asked for a sample for testing suddenly, he shared how this set him off as he does not like to be disturbed right before his match. Since he had to give his blood and urine sample around an hour before the match to the authorities, it did not sit well with him.

In response to that, ITIA also issued a statement. It said, “The first thing to say is Djokovic did not refuse the test. The rules state that when a player is notified, they must provide a sample as soon as they can. In team competitions such as the Davis Cup, players may be informed before a match. The procedure has not been changed either for this event or for the player.”

According to their statement, it is clear that Djokovic definitely did not resist when it came to the test. They also shared how the rule was right and the protocol followed was also correct. Since Djokovic probably did not know about this rule, he was clearly annoyed with the testing.

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Well, this was not the first time Djokovic had shared his disappointment with the ITIA for their doping methods and schedules. He raised this issue a decade back as well.

Djokovic has been disappointed with the ITIA for a decade

10 years ago, Novak Djokovic was playing at the Davis Cup along with his partner Viktor Troicki. Both of them, at the time, were the leading stars for their country. Even then, they were very critical of the procedures followed by the ITIA authorities. Since his partner had missed a drug test before the match, he was banned from tennis for a year.

Both Djokovic and Troicki had criticized the authorities at the time because they felt that it was an unjust practice and they were treated as if they were criminals. They also shared how it was a ridiculous thing to do and the authorities cannot be trusted.

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