Sinner served a three-month ban in early 2025.
Nick Kyrgios has fired another direct attack towards Jannik Sinner and the ATP Tour, regarding the World No. 2’s doping controversy. The Italian powerhouse tested positive twice in 2024, and was subsequently suspended from action for three months in early 2025. However, Kyrgios’ latest comments took aim at Sinner, as well as the ATP Tour.
In March 2024, Sinner tested positive for the banned substance clostebol on two separate occasions. Yet, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared him of any intentional wrong-doing. The now 24-year-old justified the positive tests with the explanation that it entered his system through a massage by his physiotherapist – who unknowingly used a product that contained the chemical.
While the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) initially appealed against the ITIA’s decision, they eventually reached a settlement with Sinner’s team for a ban of three months. Former Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios, among others, has publicly voiced out against this decision since then. The 30-year-old Australian firmly believes that Sinner’s story is false, and he has been given preferential treatment.
Kyrgios recently appeared on the ‘Unscripted’ podcast, where he unleashed another scathing attack on the four-time Grand Slam champion. The former Top-20 player divulged his opinion to Josh Mansour – former NRL player. Kyrgios did not spare the ATP Tour and the doping agencies either.
“I’m loved by a lot of the locker room, and there are some people I can’t stand,” he said. Kyrgios has been on the receiving end of criticism for his debatable on-court behaviour in the past. “Obviously me and Jannik Sinner now, it’s pretty grim. After the whole doping scandal with him testing positive and all that stuff – yeah. There are a couple of people I don’t get along with at all.”
“He’s the No. 1 player in the world [at the time] and there’s no doubt that he’s an incredible player. He’s going to be carrying the sport for the next 10-15 years with [Carlos] Alcaraz. I mean they’re protecting him to some degree. The CEO and all the important people in the ATP are Italian. And the whole story for me is bulls**t.”
Jannik Sinner is currently in Riyadh for the 2025 Six Kings Slam.
(Image Credits: Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
