By Agencies
Zimbabwe’s top ranked tennis player Benjamin’s Lock has claimed that tennis is “not a clean sport at the moment” following the high profile doping cases involving Grand Slam winners Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek.
News that both Sinner and Swiatek, two multiple Grand Slam champions and world No 1’s, had failed drug tests has rocked tennis across the past few months.
Italian Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol in March 2024, with the Australian and US Open winner found to be of “no fault” after successfully claiming contamination.
News of Sinner’s case emerged in August 2024 and was followed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announcing that Swiatek had received a one-month suspension in November.
The ITIA found French Open champion Swiatek to be of “no significant fault” after testing positive for TMZ back in August 2024, with the Pole also successfully claiming contamination.
Response to the ITIA’s rulings and Sinner and Swiatek’s case has been mixed, with Nick Kyrgios among the leading critics of the two players and a perceived lack of transparency with the handling of the cases.
The Australian has himself faced criticism for his comments, though has now been backed by Zimbabwean Lock.
Currently ranked 311th in singles and 157th in doubles, the 31-year-old posted a quote tweet on Twitter/X in support of Kyrgios’ pre-Brisbane International comments concerning doping in tennis.
He wrote: “Cheating, inconsistencies, lack of transparency and public outrage on any player that speaks out. Not a good look for tennis. The locker room has zero respect for all of this. Say what you want but this is not a clean sport at the moment.”
Lock’s comments came in response to Kyrgios’s extraordinary press conference in Brisbane, where the Australian is set to contest an ATP Tour match for the first time since June 2023.
He said: “I just think that it’s been handled horrifically in our sport. Two world No 1s both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport. It’s a horrible look.
“The tennis integrity right now, and everyone knows it, but no one wants to speak about it, is awful. It’s not okay.
“I know that people don’t like when I just speak out about things, be honest about things. For a kid that grew up playing tennis, I enjoyed the competition, I enjoyed playing.
“I can get emotional, I can throw a racket, but that’s nothing compared to cheating and taking performance-enhancing drugs. That’s ridiculous in my opinion.”