🔗 Share this article Djokovic Delivers Caution to Jannik Sinner: Doping Ban Will Hang Over Him Like a "Cloud" Novak Djokovic has cautioned Jannik Sinner that his three-month doping suspension will linger over his career like a "cloud" – while also questioning the timing of the sanction last year. The Ban Explained The Italian player served a three-month suspension in February 2025 after the World Anti-Doping Agency accepted his explanation that a banned anabolic steroid, the steroid clostebol, had been ingested unintentionally. "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 an interview on a popular YouTube program. "It is a situation where, it was so major, and when that happens, with time it may lessen, but I don't think it will disappear. There's always going to be a specific segment of individuals that will always try to bring that forward." The Champion's Viewpoint The Serbian player stated that Sinner, a regular practice partner, "didn't do it on purpose", but he then scrutinized how the player arranged to serve his time without missing a grand slam. "The absence of openness, the irregularity, the convenient timing of the suspension occurring between major events, so he avoids skipping important competitions – it simply appeared highly unusual," Djokovic added. Wider Player Reactions "I really don't like how the case was being handled and you could hear numerous fellow athletes, across both tours, who had comparable circumstances voicing their concerns publicly and complaining that it was a preferable treatment."