Nick Kyrgios Slams Jannik Sinner Over Doping Suspension
Nick Kyrgios has been a vocal critic of Jannik Sinner since the Italian twice tested positive for a banned substance. Now, following Sinner’s three-month suspension, Kyrgios has launched a scathing attack on the world No. 1.
Sinner reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to serve the suspension after testing positive for Clostebol, a banned steroid, last year. Initially, an independent panel ruled that Sinner bore no responsibility for the violation, as it resulted from inadvertent contamination by his former physio, Giacomo Naldi. However, WADA appealed the decision, arguing that athletes must bear some responsibility for their team’s negligence.
Kyrgios, never one to shy away from controversy, reacted strongly to the ruling. Taking to Instagram, he wrote:
“To the future generation [of] tennis players – after today, you can just ‘without knowing.’
Test positive, play through all the investigation, then settle on a convenient three-month ban, not get stripped of any money or titles, and carry on.
Sad day for me – someone who has played this sport since I was seven years old. Battled injury after injury and have given a s*** load to this sport. I pray that kids that play this sport do it the right way.”
Sinner has always maintained that he was unknowingly exposed to Clostebol when his physio treated his own wound with the substance before massaging him. WADA ultimately accepted this explanation, acknowledging that Sinner had no intent to cheat and did not gain any performance-enhancing benefits.
However, the agency emphasized that according to sporting precedent, athletes are held accountable for the actions of their team. As a result, Sinner agreed to serve a three-month suspension, effective immediately.
In a statement, WADA explained:
“WADA accepts the athlete’s explanation for the cause of the violation as outlined in the first-instance decision. WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat and that his exposure to Clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit. However, under the Code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence. Based on the unique facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed an appropriate outcome.”
Sinner had been scheduled to compete at the Qatar Open next week but will now miss the tournament. His expected return is likely at the Italian Open in May.
