The US Open was a whirlwind of emotions, and it wasn’t just the tennis that had everyone talking. Alongside the intense matches, the heated frustrations of players, and a few instances of eyebrow-raising commentaries, one man seemed to grab the headlines over and over again—Nick Kyrgios. The outspoken Aussie, known for his unapologetic candor, wasn’t even playing this year, but his remarks still managed to keep him firmly in the spotlight. And even though the final ball has been hit and the trophy lifted, the aftershocks of Kyrgios’s comments continue to ripple through the tennis community. 

The latest to take a dig at the 29-year-old is none other than the former American pro-Alexandra Stevenson. In the September 14 episode of the Serving Aces podcast along with her co-host Hugues Laverdiere, Stevenson deliberated on the various aspects of the US Open. The 43-year-old called out the continuous attacks of Kyrgios against Jannik Sinner and his girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya and took a subtle dig at him. 

Stevenson recalled the adorable kissing scene that emerged between Sinner and Kalinskaya after the Italian lifted the trophy. “He goes in for a hug, and he’s like, so sweet and hugging her. And then he turns back, and I don’t know if Jannik Sinner was going to kiss her, but Kalinskaya went in for the kiss. She was like, Hey, you’re my man. I’m kissing you…Because you know for sure she’s reading what Kyrgios is doing.” Remember, Kyrgios received immense flak for his comment on Kalinskaya recently.

When a picture of Kyrgios and Kalinskaya, who reportedly dated previously, was shared by a fan, the Aussie commented “Second serve” on it. This drew him widespread criticism from the entire tennis community with people calling out his remarks as inappropriate. However, Stevenson believes that Kyrgios got a befitting reply with Kalinskaya’s kissing gesture for Sinner. “So as the girlfriend in the relationship, she made sure that Jannik kissed her. And so now everybody, I guess, is saying Nick Kyrgios is dead. How about this? Now, Jannik got the Grand Slam and the girl, so it’s just kind of fun.”

Apart from passing a very offensive comment on Kalinskaya, Kyrgios also lashed out at Sinner over his doping controversy several times throughout the season. This came despite the ruling of the ITIA which concluded that Clostebol, the banned substance found in Sinner’s body during the Indian Wells, was passed accidentally by his physio Giacomo Naldi. Interestingly, despite the remarks of Kyrgios, Sinner decided to remain calm.

When Jannik Sinner gave a stoic response to Nick Kyrgios’ criticism

Sinner faced immense flak for the doping controversy from several people in the tennis community. But the one who continued his attacks unabated was Nick Kyrgios. Sinner, however, did not respond in the same tone and decided to remain stoic. 

When quizzed about his reaction to Kyrgios’ remarks during the US Open, Sinner stated, “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.” Continuing further, the World No. 1 said that he wishes to remain relaxed. “Maybe I say something now and then the reaction will be something else. I’m always quite relaxed.”

For now, it will be interesting to see how far this controversy goes and if Nick Kyrgios responds to Stevenson’s criticism or not. What do you think?