{"id":298704,"date":"2023-11-29T13:39:18","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T13:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/?p=298704"},"modified":"2023-11-29T13:39:18","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T13:39:18","slug":"itia-break-silence-on-novak-djokovic-doping-test-refusal-amid-suspension-calls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/tennis\/itia-break-silence-on-novak-djokovic-doping-test-refusal-amid-suspension-calls\/","title":{"rendered":"ITIA break silence on Novak Djokovic doping test ‘refusal’ amid suspension calls"},"content":{"rendered":"

Novak Djokovic on the importance of routines<\/h3>\n

Novak Djokovic did not refuse to take a random drug test at the Davis Cup, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has confirmed. Doubt arose around whether the world No 1 had undertaken doping control after claiming he had yet to complete a blood test when speaking to reporters after the quarter-final\u00a0against Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie.<\/p>\n

Djokovic, 36, later clarified that he had a test “coming up”. That came after reacting angrily to being asked to test soon before playing Norrie.<\/p>\n

“I received a notification an hour and a half before the match. I have my routine, and I don’t need to be distracted. To think about drawing blood, to think about whether I will be able to give a sample of urine.”<\/p>\n

He went on to describe it as “a completely illogical decision. However, not everyone is impressed with his stance, and former Olympic cyclist Marc Madiot led the calls to ban Djokovic.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are rules of testing before and after competition,\u201d he told Les Grandes Gueules du Sport<\/em> on RMC<\/em>. \u201cIf the anti-doping body is doing its job, Mr Novak Djokovic must be suspended. He refused a test before the match and did it after.”<\/p>\n

Now, the ITIA has clarified the situation. \u201cThe first thing to say is that Djokovic did not refuse the test,” the agency that runs the sport’s anti-doping and anti-corruption programmes told\u00a0L’Equipe<\/em>. “The rules state that when a player is notified, they must provide a sample as soon as they can.<\/p>\n