Jannik Sinner has been riding the waves of success, but it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the Italian sensation. Fresh off his Cincinnati Masters victory, Sinner might have expected to bask in the glory of his triumph. Instead, he’s found himself in the midst of a swirling doping controversy that refuses to die down. Just when you thought the dust might settle, Nick Kyrgios steps in again, stirring the pot even more, showing no signs of easing up on the World No. 1.

The Italian tennis sensation will take over Daniil Medvedev in a few hours from now at the US Open quarterfinals. Interestingly, the only player of the top 4 in the ATP ranking who is left in the US Open is Sinner. When a user reflected on this and posted a GIF of Sinner on X captioning, “Djokovic, Alcaraz et Zverev éliminés,” which translates to “Djokovic, Alcaraz, and Zverev eliminated,” in English, Kyrgios seemed to take a jibe. 

Responding to the post, Kyrgios wrote, “When it still shows up in the second test hahahahahaha… I make myself laugh.” Remember, Sinner tested positive twice for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol during the Indian Wells, which is a banned anabolic steroid. However, the ruling of the independent tribunal went in his favor.

It was found that Sinner’s physio Giacomo Naldi had used an over-the-counter spray containing Clostebol to treat a cut on his own finger. Then, he treated Sinner without gloves, which eventually resulted in the passing of the substance to his body. Interestingly, Kyrgios’ latest comment comes at a time when he might engage in face-to-face interaction with Sinner.

If the Italian sensation manages to outshine Medvedev in the quarterfinals and advances ahead, Kyrgios will likely be interviewing him as part of his duties for ESPN. This, meanwhile, is not the first time when Kyrgios lashed out at Sinner for the controversy. 

Soon after the ruling, Kyrgios took to his X and demanded strict punishment for the Italian player. “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. However, despite the comments, Sinner refused to respond to Kyrgios in a similar tone. 

Speaking after his second-round victory at the US Open against Alex Michelsen, the Italian player gave a stoic response to Kyrgios’s comment. “I don’t want to respond on what he said. Everyone is free to say everything. It’s ok. If that is the case, let’s see. It’s gonna be different for sure (laughing). I don’t know what to say.” While Kyrgios continues his attacks unabated, the Italian player’s coach once revealed the impact of the entire controversy on the star player. 

“It’s an unfortunate situation” – When Jannik Sinner’s coach reflected on his state after controversy erupted

Jannik Sinner saw immense flak come his way. From subtle digs to complete outbursts, several renowned faces in the tennis community have joined the fray of critics and have slammed the World No.1. But just when Sinner witnessed testing times, his coach, Darren Cahill, extended much-needed support. 

On an appearance on ESPN after the controversy, Cahill vehemently stated, “Jannik would never do anything like that intentionally. It’s an unfortunate situation, but the truth came out.” Continuing further, he highlighted the troubles that Sinner faced due to the controversy. “You would have seen a big change in his physicality and excitement to be on the court, it wore him down physically and mentally, he got tonsillitis (and) missed the Olympics. We’re not looking for any sorrow. Just thankful there is no ban attached,” Cahill added. 

But the unfortunate has continued to simmer for Sinner. It would be interesting to see if he can outshine the criticisms and challenges and achieve big at the US Open. But what remains even more fascinating to be seen is the possible meet-up between Kyrgios and Jannik Sinner.