Doping in Tennis: Djokovic and Kyrgios point out the problem at the dawn of the 2025 season

Welcome to the weekly Tennis roundup, where The Athletic highlights the notable events of the past week on court.

This week, the 2025 tennis season kicked off with a discussion between Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios on the sensitive subject of doping. Furthermore, Naomi Osaka addressed the theme of longevity in relation to the quality of play, while the return of Belinda Bencic was an opportunity for a reality check.

How can tennis reconcile the freedom of expression of athletes with the information of fans?

For many fans, tennis' greatest players, such as Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios, represent a far greater authority than the governing bodies that make and enforce the rules. When they speak out about doping cases, the public listens, even if their comments do not always reflect the reality of a given situation.

Djokovic and Kyrgios, who won their first doubles match at the Brisbane International in Australia on Monday, discussed the doping cases involving Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek before the tournament. At a press conference, Djokovic claimed players had been “kept in the dark” regarding Sinner's case and questioned “why the ATP hasn't really looked into it further”.

Kyrgios, also at the conference, said of the Sinner case: “Why did they wait five to six months to act?”

In Sinner's case, three courts — one regarding his two positive tests for clostebol, and the other closing the investigation by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) — concluded that he had not “no fault or negligence”. The ATP, which manages the men's tennis circuit, has no power over doping cases. In both Sinner's and Swiatek's cases, the players appealed their mandatory provisional suspensions following positive tests, which were completed within 10 days. Under the ITIA mechanism, this means their cases are not disclosed until investigations are closed.

This has been a recurring theme in both cases, both for many players and fans. Overall, this highlights the work that tennis authorities have to do to better explain and promote their role in protecting the integrity of the sport. If so many doubts remain about the proper conduct of the procedures, it might be appropriate to ask whether they require reassessment.

How does Naomi Osaka see her future in tennis?

Of the 10 oldest Grand Slam winners in the Open era, seven have achieved the feat since 2017 — and one player, Ken Rosewall, is responsible for the other three. The longevity of Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic has redefined expectations for how long a career can last, but one recent Grand Slam winner doesn't want to “stay on the circuit” unnecessarily.

“At the time in my life that I'm going through right now, if I'm not above a certain ranking, I don't see myself continuing,” Naomi Osaka said at a press conference ahead of the Auckland Classic in New Zealand. Osaka, who has four Grand Slam singles titles to her name, has not won a major since 2021.

“I would rather spend time with my daughter if I’m not where I think I should be.”

Naomi Osaka was at the top of tennis not too long ago. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

At 27, Osaka, who returned in 2024 after giving birth to her daughter, Shai, moved up 776 places in the rankings, from 833rd to 57th. It’s not where she thinks she should be, nor where she feels she can reach. She wants seeds in Grand Slam tournaments and the courses that result from them; a change of mindset that she experienced during the 2023 summer season, moving from an attitude of joking about results to more serious preparation, even to the point of changing coach, replacing Wim Fissette with Patrick Mouratoglou.

Longevity is the goal — but only at high levels.

TO DISCOVER

Naomi Osaka and the weight of a superstar at the US Open

A reality check for Belinda Bencic, positive and negative?

Another returning player hoping to get back to her best is 2020 Olympic singles gold medalist Belinda Bencic, who also recently gave birth to her first child. Bencic, 27, reached the final of her first WTA tournament back, a 125-level event in France. She qualified easily against world 123 Chloe Paquet, winning 6-3, 6-1 in her first match at the United Cup, but then experienced a reality check against Jasmine Paolini, the the most prominent of 2024. Paolini quickly eliminated Switzerland, 6-1, 6-1.

Bencic, who reached the top 10 as a teenager before a wrist injury and subsequent surgery forced her to make her first comeback — which culminated with gold in Tokyo — wants to return the best positions, just like Osaka. A heavy defeat this early can be destabilizing, but it also serves as a useful reminder of the level she must reach to achieve her goals.

Shot of the week

There is nothing to complain about this net…

Recommended reading:

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????Sydney and Perth, Australia: United Cup with Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Alexander Zverev, Hubert Hurkacz
????Brisbane, Australia: Brisbane International (250) with Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios, Grigor Dimitrov, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
????Hong Kong, Chine : Hong Kong Open (250) with Andrey Rublev, Arthur Son, Shang Juncheng, Denis Shapovalov

???? United Kingdom: Sky Sports; United States: Tennis Channel ???? Tennis TV

???? WTA

????Sydney and Perth, Australia: United Cup avec Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Karolina Muchova
????Brisbane, Australia: Brisbane International (500) with Aryna Sabalenka, Emma Navarro, Mirra Andreeva, Paula Badosa
????Auckland, New Zealand: ASB Classic (250) avec Madison Keys, Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, Amanda Anisimova

Watch Sports Live ????

???? United Kingdom: Sky Sports; UNITED STATES : Tennis Channel ???? Tennis TV (United Cup only)

Please let us know what you see this week in the comments as the men's and women's tours continue.

(Photo principale : Getty Images ; design : Eamonn Dalton)