Tennis great Novak Djokovic gets why some players question whether there are double standards in the sport after Jannik Sinner was spared action despite testing positive for steroids twice, saying he agrees that there is “a lack of consistency”.

Sinner tested positive twice in March for an anabolic steroid, but the International Tennis Integrity Agency determined the banned performance enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist.

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The ruling was announced on Tuesday, less than a week before Sinner begins the US Open as the top-seeded man. Djokovic, who won the tournament last year for a record 24th Grand Slam men’s singles title, is the second seed.

“I understand the frustration of the players is there, because of a lack of consistency,” Djokovic said.

“As I understood, his case was cleared the moment basically it was announced.”

“We see a lack of standardised and clear protocols. I can understand the sentiments of a lot of players that are questioning whether they are treated the same,” Djokovic said.

Some players commented on social media after the news broke, wondering if Sinner caught a break because of his standing as one of the best players in the game.

Canadian player Denis Shapovalov was one of those who questioned the so-called double standards in the game.

The 23-year-old Italian was notified earlier this year he had tested positive for low levels of the banned anabolic agent clostebol during the Indian Wells Masters in March.

An out-of-competition test eight days later was also positive.

Sinner said he was provisionally suspended for several days, although that fact was not made public at the time, and insisted that he was treated the same as any other player.

“There is no shortcut, there is no different treatment, they are all the same process,” Sinner said.

He and his camp quickly appealed on grounds the drug entered his system when his physiotherapist used a spray containing it to treat a cut, then provided massage and sports therapy to the player.

Djokovic said the Professional Tennis Players Association that he co-founded advocates for players for clear and fair protocols and standardised approaches to cases.

“Many players … have had similar or pretty much the same cases, where they haven’t had the same outcome,” Djokovic said, “and now the question is whether it is a case of the funds – whether a player can afford to pay a significant amount of money for a law firm that would then more efficiently represent his or her case.”

Carlos Alcaraz, the 2022 US Open champion, said Sinner’s case was a delicate issue.

“I think there’s something behind this that a lot of people don’t know. I don’t even know. In the end, it’s something very difficult to talk about,” Alcaraz said.

“In the end, he tested positive, but there must be a reason that allowed him to keep playing that we don’t know. So I cannot talk a lot about it. He was declared innocent and so we have Jannik in the tournament. And so there’s not much to talk about and I’m [in] no position to add anything else.”