On the eve of his return to the court, Novak Djokovic weighed in on tennis’s high-profile doping cases and criticized what he perceives as double standards in the sport.

The former world No. 1, who is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title at next month’s Australian Open, expressed his frustration Sunday at being “kept in the dark” regarding top-ranked Jannik Sinner’s doping case.

Djokovic is the top seed in the Brisbane International this week, making his first appearance at the event since 2009. He will also team up with Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in doubles, with the duo headlining today’s action.

Off the court, Djokovic lent his voice to Kyrgios’s strong criticisms made a day earlier, speaking out at length about the ongoing doping case involving current world No.1 Jannik Sinner.

“I’m not questioning whether (Sinner) took the banned substance intentionally or not,” Djokovic said at a news conference Sunday in Brisbane. “We’ve had plenty of players in the past and currently under suspension for not even testing positive to banned substances.

“Some players with lower rankings waiting for their case to be resolved for over a year. I’ve been really frustrated ... to see we’ve been kept in the dark for at least five months ( on the Sinner case ).”

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) charged both Sinner and former women’s world No.1 Iga Swiatek with anti-doping breaches earlier in the year.

Sinner tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March but avoided a ban after the ITIA ruled he was not at fault. The World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed the decision.

Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension in November after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.

The Serbian further criticized the lack of transparency from tennis authorities regarding doping breaches.

“The ATP hasn’t really talked in depth about it. Why have they kept that case away from the public? We see Simona Halep’s case on the WTA Tour, now Iga Swiatek’s case,” Djokovic said.

“It’s not a good image for our sport. I’m just questioning the way the system works and why certain players aren’t treated the same as others. Maybe some ranking reasons are behind it, or some players have more financial backing and stronger legal teams to tackle these cases.”

Despite his frustrations, Djokovic remains focused on the season ahead. After undergoing knee surgery earlier this year, he returned to reach the Wimbledon final but skipped the end-of-year ATP Finals, where Sinner capped a dominant season with his eighth title.

Djokovic is looking to extend his legacy at Melbourne Park, where he has claimed 10 Australian Open titles, and has brought on former rival Andy Murray as his coach for the Slam. tournament.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NO. 5 ALABAMA 105, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 82: Aden Holloway made eight 3-pointers and scored 26 points off the bench, and the Crimson Tide (11-2) overwhelmed the visiting Jackrabbits (9-6) with 19 made 3-pointers.

NO. 6 FLORIDA 85, STETSON 45: Alijah Martin scored 18 points, Will Richard added 17 and the host Gators (13-0) remained unbeaten by routing the Hatters (2-11).

NO. 9 OREGON 89, WEBER STATE 49: Sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad scored 16 points to lead the host Ducks (12-1) over the Wildcats (6-8).

NO. 12 OKLAHOMA 89, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 67: Jalon Moore scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, freshman star Jeremiah Fears added 19 and the host Sooners (13-0) remained one of the four unbeaten teams in Division I men’s basketball by putting away the pesky Panthers (1-12, who lost their 12the straight game.

NO. 21 PURDUE 83, TOLEDO 64: Braden Smith had 34 points and 12 assists to lift the host Boilermakers (9-4).

NO. 24 ILLINOIS 117, CHICAGO STATE 64: Kylan Boswell had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and Tomislav Ivisic scored 23 points to lead the host Illini (9-3) over the winless Cougars (0-15).

IN WOMEN’S GAMES:

NO. 8 MARYLAND 77, NO. 19 MICHIGAN STATE 66: Kaylene Smikle scored 19 points to help the host Terrapins (12-0, 2-0 Big Ten) remain undefeated with a victory over the Spartans (11-2, 1-1).

NO. 2 SOUTH CAROLINA 93, WOFFORD 47: Freshman Joyce Edwards scored 16 points as the Gamecocks (12-1) won their 65th straight home game when it defeated the Terriers (6-5)

NO. 3 NOTRE DAME 95, VIRGINIA 54: Hannah Hidalgo scored 28 points and Sonia Citron added 25 to help the Fighting Irish (11-2, 2-0 ACC) rout the visiting Cavaliers (8-6, 0-2).

NO. 5 TEXAS 94, TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY 35: Junior Kyla Oldacre matched her career best with 21 points and the Longhorns (13-1) routed the Vaqueros (6-7) in Austin.

NO. 7 CONNECTICUT 67, PROVIDENCE 41: Paige Bueckers scored 19 of her 23 points in the first half as the host Huskies (11-2, 2-0 Big East) bounced back from their first home loss of the season to roll over Providence (7-8, 0-2 Big East).

NO. 6 LSU 83, ALBANY 61: Annesah Morrow had 20 points and 18 rebounds as the Tigers (15-0) rallied at home. Albany (10-3) missed its last 11 shots, failing to hit a field goal in the game’s final 8:42.

NO. 10 OHIO STATE 77, RUTGERS 63: Cotie McMahon and Ajae Petty each scored 16 points to help the Buckeyes (13-0, 2-0 Big Ten) win at Rutgers (8-5, 0-2).

NO. 24 IOWA 84, PURDUE 63: Addison O’Grady scored 12 points and the Hawkeyes (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) defeated the visiting Boilermakers (7-6, 0-2) in a game in which only two players reached double figures in scoring.

for this year (2025).

HOCKEY

Tuomas Uronen scored at 1:46 of overtime to give Finland a 4-3 victory over the United States in a Group A game in the world junior hockey championship in Ottawa, Ontario..

Uronen, who plays for the Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League, came down the right side on a rush and beat goalie Trey Augustine high to the glove side.

The defending champion Americans lost for the first time in three games. They’ll finish Group A play Tuesday night against Canada.

SKIING

Fredrik Moeller of Norway claimed his first World Cup victory in a a super-G that got off to an inauspicious start as Gino Caviezel became the third skier this weekend to be airlifted off the slope set to be used for the 2026 Olympics.

After Alexis Monney’s debut World Cup win in the downhill the previous day, Moeller also recorded his first victory on the circuit with an early benchmark run down the fearsome Stelvio slope to finish 0.20 seconds ahead of Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr in Bormio, Italy.

It was a miserable day for Caviezel, however. The 32-year-old was first out of the gates but crashed heavily early on and was flown by Swiss Air Rescue back to Switzerland where he was diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder as well as “a complex knee injury,” according to his ski federation.

French standout Cyprien Sarrazin and Italian Pietro Zazzi were also taken off the slope by helicopter after crashing in separate incidents in downhill training on Friday. Sarrazin underwent surgery to drain a bleed near the brain while Zazzi had an operation on his leg.

Zrinka Ljutic gave the Croatian women’s ski team its first World Cup victory in almost 19 years by triumphing in the final race of the calendar year in Semmering, Austria.