‘I have been treated like a criminal’ – Victor Troicki

Written by: on 6th November 2013
Men Dubai Tennis Championships
'I have been treated like a criminal' - Victor Troicki

epa03601677 Victor Troicki from Serbia in action against his countryman Novak Djokovic during the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis ATP Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 26 February 2013. EPA/ALI HAIDER  |

(Special Thanks For Providing the Quotes: CNN World Sport )

TROICKI: Honestly, I was pretty shocked when I heard the decision. I read (Novak’s) statement late in the evening, and I didn’t actually know that he was going to say that – and the way he said it really meant the world to me. You know, to have the support of a good friend of mine was just amazing at this moment, and I really thank him so much. Really he’s my true friend and I saw that in this moment. Not only him but other players – (Jelena) Jankovic, (Janko) Tipsarevic, Rafa (Nadal) also said a nice thing. Pretty much a lot of the players have been behind me, and gave me their support, so that meant a lot to me in the toughest time of my career.

Q: is the whole doping system flawed, like Novak said?

TROICKI: I have to agree as it happened to me. I am the victim. We all agree that anti-doping is necessary. We believe our sport is clean but my case … I really feel there’s been a lot of errors. THE DCO (Doping Control Officer) who was in the room with me, who assured me that everything was ok – she didn’t have any consequences, she’s still in the job, working every day, going to the tournaments and I’m the one who had all the consequences and I’m the one who is suffering for being unable to play for one year. And it’s not just one year but also, I’ll be starting from zero because I will lose all my (ranking) points. I’ll be starting from zero – and that is the toughest part of it. If you’re a footballer and are good and coming back, top teams will take you – but I have to start from zero, in the smaller tournaments, which is crazy for me to think about right now. It’s definitely the worst time for me. A lot of errors have been done and the court agrees on those errors. But 12 months is the smallest time I could get by the rules.

Q: what say u to those others?

TROICKI: I feel like I’m an example. The perfect example… Me and my coach were assured that everything would be alright there would be no sanctions, but she did not follow her steps. And it’s very strange for me, all this stuff, as I was sure I did everything right, but apparently not.

Q: are you a scapegoat?

TROICKI: Yes. I have been punished. It’s going to be a very tough moment for me. We have a Davis Cup final coming here in Belgrade. Last time I was here for the semifinals, when Serbia was playing against Canada in Belgrade, and I wasn’t even allowed in the arena. They said it was not possible for me to attend, to be a spectator who bought a ticket and attended the match. I have been treated like a criminal. I don’t know if they are ever going to change their mind if I could watch from somewhere in the arena. It would be nice for me to see my friends and team-mates going for the title again. I hope they change their mind on their mind. It’s been crazy and I will see – it’s a long time to go and I need to stay strong and be positive.

 

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