“You’re not going to become World No. 1 because of doping” – Russian ATP legend makes bold claim about Jannik Sinner & Iga Swiatek controversies

Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek have Russian tennis legend Nikolay Davydenko’s trust during their ongoing doping controversies, despite a sizable portion of the tennis community standing against them. Davydenko, for one, believes that doping would never be enough to make an average tennis player into a World No. 1, an achievement both Swiatek and Sinner have accomplished.

Sinner’s doping controversy came to light ahead of the 2024 US Open, with the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) revealing that he had tested positive for a prohibited steroid due to contamination. However, he was not handed a ban and allowed to play on the tour. Swiatek also tested positive for a banned substance due to contamination, with the ITIA handing her a one-month ban.

In both cases, the respective players received major pushback from many of their colleagues, with most crying about the double standards in the play of top players getting away without bans while lower-ranked players suffer.

Davydenko, speaking to Match TV in a recent interview, addressed those concerns, saying that he did not think Jannik Sinner became a better player just through doping. The former World No. 3 emphasized how the Italian has made enough tactical changes to better himself on the court, and dismissed the idea of players thinking he is winning only because of illegal means.

“Sinner is playing very well, he is great. I like his tactics on the court, it is not about doping. I saw him in 2019, compared to now, the difference is very decent. Jannik started to play differently. The tactics changed seriously, so many do not have time to play with him.”