Nick Kyrgios has been ruthless in his criticism of Jannik Sinner over the world No.1’s doping violation – but one tennis expert has suggested his animosity stems from the fact the Italian has been dating his ex-girlfriend.
Kyrgios has been among the most vocal critics of Sinner and World No. 2 Iga Swiatek after they returned positive drug tests last year.
Sinner tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March, but avoided a ban because the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined he was not to blame.
Kyrgios has publicly called for Sinner to be banned, attacked him on social media and described the doping drama as ‘disgusting for our sport’.
However, the situation is complicated by the fact that Sinner has been dating Kyrgios’s ex, Anna Kalinskaya.
American sports journalist Jon Wertheim claimed the Aussie’s obsession with Sinner is rooted in personal animosity and not with concerns about the integrity of tennis.
Sports journalist Jon Wertheim has claimed Nick Kyrgios’s attacks on Jannik Sinner are rooted in the fact the Italian has been dating the Aussie’s ex-girlfriend
Sinner has been in a relationship with tennis star Anna Kalinskaya since early last year
Kalinskaya (pictured)
‘There’s a woman involved here, who also happens to be a player,’ Wertheim said on Andy Roddick’s Served podcast on Monday.
‘Bear in mind that Jannik Sinner – who he has been relentlessly bullying for months and months and hasn’t responded – is also coached by a colleague at ESPN.
‘There is so much going on here, but it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with bona fide concerns about doping.
‘He [Kyrgios] didn’t even seem to understand the doping protocols and the context to begin with which leads me to conclude this is all just … against a player who’s now dating a former girlfriend, and nothing more.’
Roddick also used that episode of the podcast to launch a stunning attack on the Aussie, bringing up the fact he pleaded guilty to assaulting an ex-girlfriend as he branded Kyrgios a hypocrite and a bully.
Late last year it was rumoured Sinner and Kalinskaya had split, but there has been no official confirmation of that from either player.
Kyrgios, who is now dating Costeen Hatzi, responded by saying he has no issue with Sinner personally, writing on X: ‘I couldn’t care less where sinner lays his wood. I’m in a happy relationship I just don’t like people who are cheating the system.’
In September 2023, there were calls for Kyrgios to be sacked from his commentary job with ESPN after he commented ‘second serve’ on a photo showing he and Kalinskaya together.
It’s uncertain what the 29-year-old was trying to communicate with the remark, but many thought it was a misogynistic dig at Sinner.
Kyrgios responded to the claims by stating he has no personal issue with the Italian and doesn’t care who he has a relationship with (pictured)
Sinner had a triumphant year on-court in 2024 (pictured kissing Kalinskaya after winning the US Open last September)
Kyrgios was condemned for making this comment on a photo of himself and Kalinskaya
Last month, Kyrgios labelled the doping scandals ‘horrible’ for tennis.
‘Two world No.1s both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport. It’s a horrible look,’ Kyrgios said at his Brisbane International press conference.
‘Tennis integrity right now, and everyone knows it, but no one wants to speak about it, it’s awful.’
Kyrgios has struggled since June 2023 with wrist and knee injuries. He was asked about his motivations for speaking out on the Sinner and Swiatek situations.
‘Someone like me … I would never even in my entire life ever try and dope in this sport,’ he said.
‘Especially going through an injury like I went through, obviously there are things out there that could speed up healing, help me get back to prime level, help my recovery.
‘There’s so many things out there that are prohibited in our sport that I could have been doing to get me back quicker … (but) that’s just not who I am. I’m always against that.
‘So for me when people are saying that I’m disrespectful to the sport, I think someone like that that has tried to cheat the process, and actually not done it completely on their own merit, is the disrespectful one in my opinion.
‘I have to be outspoken about it because I don’t think there’s enough people that are speaking about it. I think people are trying to sweep it under the rug.’
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