The Australian Open, set to begin on Sunday, is facing a rather unprecedented situation. Two of the stars — top seed Jannik Sinner and women's second seed Iga Swiatek — are both under a dope cloud.
Asked if doping is becoming a serious problem in tennis, former world No. 62 and India No.1 Somdev Devvarman said during a virtual interaction on Friday: "It will be in the forefront now. You can't really skirt around the issue anymore. The governing bodies of the sport need to work together to keep the sport clean.
"I think a lot of players are upset because there is lack of clarity and the treatment meted out is not always fair and equal. A lesser-known player is often given a tougher time than a top star. That should not happen."
Somdev feels Aryna Sabalenka is the clear favourite to retain her crown, but "Coco Gauff is playing incredible tennis. There is Iga also."
He added: "Among the men, for me it will be either Sinner or Alcaraz. But you can never count out Novak (Djokovic). He has a stellar record here. So does Medvedev."
Somdev lauded the fact that India's Sumit Nagal will be playing in the major for the second time in a row. But he rued the fact that "there has been a massive drop in the performance of Indian players with hardly any presence in both men's and women's game. Maybe the All India Tennis Association should come up with some answers."