Djokovic faces sanctions for refusing doping test

Former cycling champion Marc Madiot has called for Novak Djokovic to be punished after the Serbian player defied a Davis Cup doping test.

Novak Djokovic, who helped Serbia beat Great Britain in the Davis Cup quarter-finals last week, complained about being asked to submit to a doping test before the match. The 36-year-old said the blood and urine samples should have been taken after the match.

Djokovic played in the Davis Cup, where he and Serbia lost to Italy in the semi-finals. Photo: Davis Cup — Djokovic played in the Davis Cup, where he and Serbia lost to Italy in the semi-finals. Photo: Davis *Cup*

"I told the organizers that I had never been in this situation before," Djokovic told the media about being asked to take a doping sample. "He sat in a corner and watched me for hours. It was too much. I support doping tests, but not before the match."

But former road cycling champion Marc Madiot believes governing bodies should fine Djokovic for resisting drug testing. "You always know the drug test schedule and someone will follow you all day. He will follow you to the locker room, to the toilet or shower, and to the press conference. I don't see any difference whether you do it before or after a match," he said.

According to Madiot, who is the director of the French cycling team Groupama-FDJ, some doping has a short shelf life, and can be eliminated during a race. This means that a sample is no longer valid if taken after the race. "I know some doping is used for a very limited time," Madiot said. "So they have to test you before the race. You don't have the right to refuse to be tested, that's the rule."

Madiot, a two-time Paris–Roubaix road cycling champion, said he had undergone numerous drug tests during his career and that if the anti-doping agency had done its job, Djokovic would have been banned from the Davis Cup quarter-finals. "In cycling, if you refuse a drug test, you will definitely be punished," he said.

Djokovic took the sample after his quick 6-3, 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie. The Serbian has been in fine form since the end of the season, winning 19 consecutive matches at one point. He has also lost just one of his 28 Grand Slam matches this season.

Former French tennis player Marion Bartoli disagrees with Madiot, saying: "Usually, the sample is taken after the match because the higher concentration of urine gives a more realistic result."

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