“I have my own routine—I don’t need that distraction, to have my urine and blood taken, to think about whether I can give urine at that moment”
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic after beating Britain’s Cameron Norrie in Malaga on Thursday. Pic/AFP
Novak Djokovic was furious after being asked to undergo a dope test shortly before Serbia’s Davis Cup win over Great Britain, although the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Saturday it was standard practice and he had not been singled out.
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The record 24-time men’s Grand Slam winner revealed his anger at being asked before the 2-0 win on Thursday which sent Serbia into the Davis Cup semi-finals, rather than after.
Djokovic said officials asked for samples 90 minutes before his straight set 6-4, 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie. “I didn’t believe that they could make such a decision, in 20 and more years of my career, it never happened to me that an hour-and-a-half before the match, I needed to go for doping control,” the 36-year-old told Serbian reporters.
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“I have my own routine—I don’t need that distraction, to have my urine and blood taken, to think about whether I can give urine at that moment.”
Djokovic said he had no problem with being tested “a hundred times” but not before the match. Meanwhile, Miomir Kecmanovic beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-1 to give Serbia a 1-0 lead over Italy in their semi-final on Saturday.
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