"Daniil Medvedev is one of the smartest voices in tennis" - Andy Roddick praises Russian for his support of Jannik Sinner amid Italian's doping saga
Andy Roddick praised Daniil Medvedev for standing in support of Jannik Sinner amidst the Italian's doping controversy. Medvedev believes what Sinner did was within the rules. Reacting to the Russian's comments, Roddick called him one of the 'smartest' voices in tennis.
Sinner tested positive for a banned substance twice in March. Following brief suspensions on both occasions, he was allowed to play due to his emergency appeals being accepted. After an independent tribunal investigated the matter and cleared Sinner of wrongdoing, the issue was made public earlier in August.
It was revealed that Sinner was inadvertently contaminated with clostebol - a performance-enhancing drug - by his physio Giacomo Naldi. The Italian lost the ranking points and prize money earned at Indian Wells, the event during which he tested positive.
Many of Sinner's colleagues called foul play, stating he received 'preferential treatment'. There were also questions about why the matter was made public months after the positive test. In a press conference at the 2024 US Open, the Italian claimed he had abided by the rules and that the proceedings were conducted with due diligence.
Medvedev also believes the 23-year-old had done everything according to the rules. The Russian admitted the rules for doping are vague but hoped that the situation would remain the same for every player.
"I just say that I hope this situation can be the same for every player – like every player can defend himself. Because I think what he (Jannik Sinner) did was within the rules. It’s just that the rules are a little bit vague," Daniil Medvedev said during a 2024 US Open press conference.
The Russian also mentioned that Sinner was in a favorable position because he knew how the drugs entered his system. However, a player can get into serious trouble if he cannot explain how a banned substance was found in his system.
Roddick spoke about Medvedev's comments via a post on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:
"Med consistently one of the smartest, most thoughtful voices in tennis. Parses through facts, scenarios before concluding anything. Uninterested in projection ….. hits nail on head for what causes a lot of the feelings in tennis while still being tethered to facts"
"Facts matter more than feelings in this scenario" - Andy Roddick supports Jannik Sinner amid doping controversy
Andy Roddick dove deep into the details of Jannik Sinner's failed drug tests controversy during an episode of his podcast 'Served with Andy Roddick'.
The American pointed out each fact he had come across in the situation and stressed that facts were more important.
"I care. I think facts matter more than feelings in this scenario. And I'm not going to tell you the way to feel. I'm going to tell you as much information, and then judge away, but at least judge away knowing processes, etc," Roddick said (11:40).
Roddick also asked everyone to not judge a situation without knowing the complete story. He was completely against how many people had reacted to the news without taking into account all the facts.