“Current players setting bad examples for young generations,” Nick Kyrgios wrote on social media while reacting to Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek‘s doping cases. Months after Sinner, the Pole also revealed last week she was tested for banned substance Trimetazidine (TMZ). Since then, Nick hasn’t stopped in sharing harsh takes over the former world no.1. Moreover, he was joined by a decorated former Russian pro who believes anyone tested positive should be banned for life. However, a former American ATP pro and podcast host Andy Roddick has now come forward to give a fitting response to both of them.

For those unaware, Nick Kyrgios had a strong reaction to Iga Swiatek’s doping news. On previous occasions, he had already criticized Jannik Sinner. When he got to know about Iga’s positive test results, he took to X and wrote, “OUR SPORT IS COOKED”. He was clearly disappointed with both of them. It was made evident in a different post as well from him. Taking shots at Iga and Sinner, he wrote, “The excuse that we can all use is that we didn’t know. Simply didn’t know. Professionals at the highest level of sport can now just say “we didn’t know”. Moreover, Russian ex-pro and former world no.1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov also had similar thoughts to share. On X, he wrote that anyone using banned substances should receive permanent ban. “It should be LIFE ban for anybody who gets caught using ban substances! NO excuses and ZERO tolerance no matter who your are!!!!” he wrote.

Andy Roddick finally took notice of their comments in an episode of his Served podcast, dated December 3. He had a strong answer to the ex-Russian pro and Australian player’s harsh reactions. “Some of you are gonna be like, you test positive your lifetime ban. Yevgeny Kafelnikov said, ‘lifetime ban. Lifetime ban for melatonin’. Sounds right. Yeah. Someone else going, ‘our sport is cooked’,” he said. Continuing further, he answered “Our sport’s pretty f*****g great. Pretty great. I have a lot more respect for our sport than to close the door on someone taking a melatonin and throwing my iron.”

Taking a jab specifically at Nick’s remarks he said “that feels like a desperate grab for attention as opposed to actually having a moral set, especially when a lot of people, no one’s specific”. He didn’t take a name but he was seemingly targeting Kyrgios. “A lot of people expect understanding and forgiveness for the times in their life that they’ve really screwed up, but then give none of that to anyone else. Bothers me endlessly,” he concluded in the podcast.

Roddick had previously supported Jannik during his doping case earlier this year. “I can’t believe for the life of me that he’d risk his career for something with no benefit” he said. Meanwhile, Roddick has increased his defensive stance for Iga amidst her doping situation too. He’s made it evident that he’s standing with the Pole, no matter what.

Andy Roddick believes Iga Swiatek is innocent in the doping scandal

In the same podcast, the 2003 US Open winner revealed why he thinks Iga is not guilty. According to him, she didn’t take the banned substance TMZ on purpose. Simply because she took her medication, Melatonin, while not knowing that it was contaminated with TMZ. “I can’t call it doping. Taking melatonin when you’re jetlagged at 2:30 in Cincinnati… It was just unfortunate for her,” he said. Continuing further, he added, “It just doesn’t make sense because the headlines and the morons in our sport are saying ‘doping!’”

The former ATP pro then questioned the purpose of testing athletes for traces of a substance that doesn’t enhance their performance at all. “You took melatonin? I took melatonin. Are we going to continue to catch athletes for trace amounts of the substance or contaminated melatonin that had no effect on increasing performance? What are we trying to solve with ITIA and WADA? Increasing performance. That’s what we want to stop. If all the scientists from independent organizations tell us that it doesn’t increase performance, then what the f**k do we care?”, he said out of sheer frustration.

Andy Roddick’s constant support for Iga will surely lift up her lost spirit – especially going into the next season in 2025. What are your thoughts on the ex-ATP pro’s stance on the Polish player’s doping case? Do you agree with him? Let us know in the comments below.