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Novak Djokovic has cautioned Jannik Sinner that his three-month ban for doping will linger over his career like a "cloud" – and raised doubts about the timing of the penalty in the previous season.

The Ban Explained

The Italian player served a three-month suspension in early 2025 after the global anti-doping body approved his account that a prohibited performance-enhancing substance, clostebol, had been ingested unintentionally.

"This shadow will trail him just as the Covid controversy will follow me, for the remainder of our respective careers," Djokovic stated in an interview on Piers Morgan: Uncensored.

"It is a situation where, it was so significant, 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, his frequent training companion, "didn't do it on purpose", but he then scrutinized how the player arranged to complete his ban without missing a grand slam.

"The absence of openness, the irregularity, the convenience [of] the ban coming between the slams, so he avoids skipping important competitions – it's just it was very, very odd," he further commented.

Wider Player Reactions

"I am dissatisfied with how the case was being handled and you could hear numerous fellow athletes, across both tours, who had some similar situations voicing their concerns publicly and asserting it represented favorable handling."