Determined Nick Kyrgios Proves to Be Jannik Sinner’s Harshest Critic as He Launches Scathing Attack Yet Again Over Doping Saga

Jannik Sinner‘s season has been anything but a walk in the park. Despite his brilliance on the court, the Italian dynamo has found himself tangled in a web of controversy, with his doping story showing no signs of vanishing. And just when it seemed like things couldn’t get more complicated, Nick Kyrgios has once again entered the fray—this time, turning up the heat even more.

In an unexpected turn of events, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to reopen the case against Sinner. The agency took a firm stance on Sinner’s entire doping controversy and stated that the Independent Tribunal’s decision of “no fault or negligence” was improper under the applicable standards, demanding a ban on the player for one to two years. Now, the CAS has given the latest update on the case.

In a post on X, journalist Ben Rothenberg shared a press release by the CAS. The court has confirmed that WADA’s appeal against Sinner is underway. However, it stated that “at this time, it is not possible to indicate a time frame for the issuance of the decision.” The court also stated that the panel will soon issue procedural directions for the next steps pertaining to the case. As soon as Rothenberg’s post gained traction, one of the top names to comment on it was Nick Kyrgios.

Responding to the post, the Aussie, known for his candid and controversial takes, took a jibe at the World No. 1. “Why’s he still playing lol,” he wrote. Remember, Kyrgios has continued to target Sinner ever since the doping saga came to light. Soon after the ruling of the Independent Tribunal which did not impose any ban on the player, Kyrgios took to X and expressed his disappointment. 

“Ridiculous – whether it was accidental or planned,” he wrote. “You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for 2 years,” Kyrgios added. For the unversed, Sinner tested positive twice for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol during Indian Wells. Clostebol is a banned anabolic steroid that can be used in ophthalmological and dermatological treatments. However, the ruling of the Independent Tribunal initially went in Sinner’s favor.

It was found that Sinner’s ex-physio Giacomo Naldi had used a spray containing Clostebol to treat a cut on his own finger. However, since he treated Sinner without gloves, the substance eventually was passed on to Sinner’s body.

Ever since the doping controversy first surfaced, Sinner has faced backlash from the likes of Kyrgios, but there is another section in the tennis community that is backing the World No. 1 through his tough times. 

Amid backlashes, Carlos Alcaraz rallies behind Jannik Sinner 

Jannik Sinner has remained stoic despite the increasing troubles against him. He has claimed his innocence and has continued to highlight that the entire episode took place accidentally and unintentionally. Due to these reasons and the stark clean record of Sinner, he has received continuous support from many people in the tennis community and Carlos Alcaraz is one of them.

Speaking about Sinner’s controversy at the China Open, the Spaniard expressed support for the Italian player. “I thought it was closed, anything is going to happen again, Jannik is innocent, and they saw that Jannik didn’t do anything wrong. This month I didn’t know what happen exactly. I just saw the news and it surprises me a little bit.” Alcaraz also highlighted that the entire episode is not good for the sport in general.

As the season progresses, it would be interesting to see if the continuous pressure because of the doping case affects Sinner’s performance. Will Sinner overcome the challenges anytime soon? What do you think?