Tennis News Today: Carlos Alcaraz makes firm Novak Djokovic statement; Qatar Open questioned over seeming differential treatment for men and women, and more

Carlos Alcaraz spoke about Novak Djokovic's participation at the Qatar Open. Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev opened up about the controversial WADA ruling in favor of Jannik Sinner.

In other news, Ellen Perez highlighted the difference in the gifts given to the male and female players at the Qatar Open. Also, Carlos Alcaraz refused to speak about Jannik Sinner's ongoing doping controversy.

On that note, here is today's top tennis news:

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Carlos Alcaraz opens up about Novak Djokovic's potential participation at the Qatar Open

Carlos Alcaraz gave an honest assessment of Novak Djokovic's participation at the Qatar Open. The Spaniard is set to compete with Djokovic at the Qatar Open starting on 17th February.

Alcaraz was asked about Djokovic's comeback in Qatar after his injury at the Australian Open. However, the 21-year-old stated that the Serbian's participation in the tournament did not change his mindset. Alcaraz and Djokovic last faced off in the quarter-finals in Melbourne when the Serbian star won in four sets.

"It doesn't change. It's the same tournament. There are great players in every tournament. Whether Djokovic is there or not doesn't really affect me at all," Alcaraz said. (translated from Spanish)

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Daniil Medvedev weighs in on the Jannik Sinner doping controversy

Daniil Medvedev spoke about the recent WADA ruling against Jannik Sinner. The Italian has been handed a three-month ban from tennis for testing positive for a banned substance.

Medvedev hoped that negotiating a three-month ban would become a norm in the future for testing positive for a banned substance. The Russian further claimed that it would be a bad look for tennis if the Sinner incident was an exception due to his financial prowess.

"I hope that from now on everyone can talk to WADA and if they tell you: 'we found this, it's been two years', you answer: 'no, I want one month' . I hope it will set a precedent. Otherwise it would be strange," Medvedev said during a post-match press conference. (translated from French)

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Ellen Perez hilariously complains about the difference in gifts between male and female players at the Qatar Open

Ellen Perez hilariously complained about the difference in gifts given to male and female players at the Qatar Open. After the final, the losing finalist Wu-Fang Hsien highlighted the lack of gifts at this year's event. Perez later took to social media and posted the difference between gifts for male and female players.

Perez claimed that male players were gifted an iPhone while female players were given a water bottle as a gift. She also added that the players were given a bouquet of flowers in 2024, which was missing this year.

“The men get iPhones every year and this year we get a water bottle… Last year we at least got a bracelet but I guess that even got too much to ask for @QatarTennis," Perez posted on X (formerly Twitter).

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Carlos Alcaraz gives his statement on the Jannik Sinner doping case

Carlos Alcaraz spoke about Jannik Sinner's 3-month ban from tennis due to doping. The Spaniard refused to talk too much about the situation, which started one year ago.

Jannik Sinner was banned for just 3 months after testing positive for a banned substance. In the past, Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep were given stricter sanctions after their doping controversies. When asked about it at his press conference, Alcaraz refused to comment and said he is only focusing on himself.

"The truth is little to comment. Whether or not, it does not influence us. We continue focused on ours and our goals."