Tennis community might turn upside down, but Nick Kyrgios won’t shift his opinion. After a year away from the tennis court, the Aussie player is set to make his return in the coming season. However, that’s not where the buzz lies at the moment. Instead, it’s currently on Kyrgios’ controversial statement over Jannik Sinner and Iga Świątek’s doping failures. Aligning himself with a former Russian tennis pro, Kyrgios showed he doesn’t stand by those who break the rules. His opinion showcased that no matter what happens, Nick Kyrgios would remain outspoken.

Kyrgios took help from former ATP star Yevgeny Kafelnikov to express his disapproval of Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner’s doping cases. The ATP number one tested positive for a banned substance, Clostebol in March and was suspended for a few days. He again tested positive for the same substance. However,  Sinner’s team proved the substance entered his body during a massage by his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi. This argument helped the Italian receive a lighter punishment from the ITIA. However, WADA appealed to CAS for a transparent verdict about the case, leaving Sinner’s fate uncertain. Similarly, Swiatek also tested positive for Trimetazidine in August, which entered her body through tainted melatonin she used for jet lag relief. Although the Polish WTA star broke the rules, her unawareness of the substance led was cited to hand just a one-month suspension. Despite everything, many tennis personalities, including Nick Kyrgios, are unwilling to accept such tolerance toward tennis’ leading athletes.

Standing firm in his opinion, Kyrgios retweeted Yevgeny Kafelnikov’s post. A former Hall of Famer, Kafelnikov’s argument on X read: “And the sad part to all of this is that young and upcoming players (12-16 years old) look at their idols and think maybe it’s normal to use steroids in the future and get away with this! Current players setting bad examples for young generations.” The Russian legend shed light on how Swiatek and Sinner’s cases could set a wrong example for the young, impressionable generation. Supporting Kafelnikov’s stance, the Aussie player responded with a simple “Yup,” agreeing to the ATP legend.

Kyrgios has consistently criticized Sinner’s case, since its beginning. Attacking the ITIA’s mercy toward the Italian, he previously tweeted, “Ridiculous—whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned substance (steroid)… you should be gone for two years. Your performance was enhanced.” This statement highlighted his complete disbelief in Sinner’s innocence. The Aussie player’s tone remained equally critical toward Iga Swiatek. Following her doping case, Kyrgios tweeted, “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.’” Kyrgios stressed the importance of maintaining strict rules in the sport, expressing frustration with what he saw as a lack of accountability from the names that hold the top rankings. The ATP star even took a quirky jab at these top players in a bold 2025 prediction: “That our world number 1’s won’t fail drug tests,” he wrote.

While Nick Kyrgios criticized the ITIA’s verdicts as biased, a prominent tennis journalist found the situation more complex. Referring to Swiatek’s month-long ban for tainted melatonin, the journalist believed this situation could complicate Jannik Sinner’s case even further.

Jon Wertheim discussed how Iga Swiatek’s suspension hints at Jannik Sinner’s misery

Despite receiving punishment from ITIA, Sinner’s fate remains uncertain until CAS drops its verdict. In this situation, Swiatek’s case has alarmed the fraternity doubling their concern. In an episode of Served with Andy Roddick Wertheim offered his perspective and said, “What this means for Jannik Sinner is sort of an obvious way to go. If Swiatek is getting 30 days for tainted melatonin, I don’t know what that does for Sinner, whose case is obviously under appeal. Hopefully, we’ll hear soon from the CAS, the Court for Arbitration of Sport.” While the journalist raises concern over Sinner’s future, he also sheds light on Swiatek’s mental health given her introverted personality. “I just worry about Iga—this is someone who, apart from being a top player, by her own characterization, is introverted,” concluded Wertheim.

Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s doping cases have brought many questions to the front: Are the doping rules stricter than we thought? or are the top players simply not paying much attention to the rules? The question is yet to be answered. For the fraternity, the moment remains concerning till Jannik Sinner’s verdict appears. What are your thoughts on this?