Former cycling champion Marc Madiot called for a punishment for Novak Djokovic after the Serbian tennis player protested the decision to test for doping in the Davis Cup.

After helping Serbia defeat Great Britain in the Davis Cup quarterfinals last week, Novak Djokovic complained about being asked to take a doping test sample before the match. The 36-year-old tennis player believes that blood and urine samples should be taken after the match.

Djokovic competed 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 encountered this case before,” Djokovic told the media about being asked to take a doping test sample. “He sat in a corner and watched me for hours. It was too much. I support doping testing, but not before the match.”

But according to former road cycling champion Marc Madiot, regulators should punish Djokovic for opposing doping testing requirements. He said: “You always know the doping test schedule in advance and there will be someone watching you all day. He will follow you into the locker room, where you go to the toilet or shower, and then into the press conference room. I There’s no difference whether you do it before or after the game.”

According to Madiot, who is Director of the French cycling team Groupama-FDJ, some types of doping have a short shelf life, and can be eliminated during competition. This means the sample is no longer valid if taken after the match. “I know some types of doping are used for very limited periods of time,” Madiot said. “So they have to test you before competing. You have no right to refuse to take a sample, that’s the rule.”

Madiot is a two-time Paris–Roubaix road cycling champion. He said he has undergone many doping tests in his career and if the anti-doping agency does a good job, Djokovic should be banned from competing in the Davis Cup quarterfinals. “In cycling, if you refuse a doping test, you will definitely receive a penalty,” he said.

Djokovic took a sample after his match against Cameron Norrie, which he quickly won 6-3, 6-4. The Serbian tennis player maintained high form at the end of the season, sometimes reaching 19 consecutive wins. He also lost only one of 28 Grand Slam matches this season.

Former French female tennis player Marion Bartoli has a contrary opinion to Madiot. She said: “Normally the test sample must be taken after the match because the concentrated urine concentration will give more realistic results.”