"Supervisor told me that it was against rules": Fellow tennis player recounts similar 'illogical' situation as Novak Djokovic doping test before match

Sunday, 26 November 2023 at 10:23

Russia’s tennis player Natalia Vikhlyantseva has opened up about an incident from 2018 after an incident regarding doping reportedly infuriated Novak Djokovic.

There has been reports that the 36-year-old was left furious after a dope test took place just hours before the start of his Davis Cup tie against Italy’s Jannik Sinner. Djokovic ended up losing the clash in three sets with a score of 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.

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"I had a brief discussion with people from the anti-doping agency. I didn't believe that they made such a decision, in 20 and more years of my career, it never happened to me that an hour and a half before the match, I needed to go for doping control. Illogical situation and decision,” Djokovic was quoted as saying after the incident.

Vikhlyantseva opened up about an incident from 2018 where she recalled how dopping officers came at 6 AM to her hotel room.

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"I remember during St. Petersburg WTA in 2018 before my match, doping officers came at 6 am to my hotel room. I tried to convince them that it's my match day and they can't bother me before match, but decided to pass doping test. Supervisor told me that it was against rules."

Nata Vikhlyantseva

@NVikhlyantseva

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I remember during St. Petersburg WTA in 2018 before my match doping officers came at 6 am to my hotel room. I tried to convince them that it’s my match day and they can’t bother me before match, but decided to pass doping test. Supervisor told me that it was against rules.

José Morgado

@josemorgado

Missed this yesterday: Novak Djokovic was requested to do doping test one hour before his match vs. Norrie. "I had a discussion with him [antidoping control guy] because in 20 years of my career, it didn't happen to me before. [getting noticed so close to the match]".

7:25 PM · Nov 24, 2023

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Azeem Siddiqui

Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.

He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.

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