Players’ Association calls for legal aid fund for suspected dopers

As Jannik Sinner wonders whether he could still be banned for failing two doping tests, a players’ association is asking the Grand Slams and two main tours to pay for a legal defence fund for athletes.

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) was created in 2019 and aims to increase player power within the sport.

It believes the four majors, the men’s ATP Tour and women’s WTA Tour should fund access to third-party lawyers, so financial resources are not a barrier to a speedy and authoritative defence.

It would - they argue - make the system fairer for all players regardless of their ranking.

The PTPA was co-founded by Novak Djokovic, who raised this topic at the recent US Open.

“The question is whether a player can afford to pay a significant amount of money for a law firm that would then more efficiently represent his or her case,” he said.

“I feel like we have to collectively investigate how we can standardise everything so that every player, regardless of his ranking or status or profile, is able to get the same kind of treatment.”Some players have raised questions about the speed at which a resolution was reached in Sinner’s case.
World number one Sinner twice tested positive for the steroid clostebol in March but was cleared of fault or negligence by an independent panel.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has lodged an appeal against the decision to clear the Italian of blame, believing the independent panel’s findings were “not correct under the applicable rules”.

It has asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) to set aside the decision and ban Sinner for between one and two years.

(Agencies)