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Nick Kyrgios was left fuming by Jannik Sinner's coach Darren Cahill being awarded the 2024 Coaching Excellence award by Tennis Australia. Kyrgios' anger stemmed from reigning World No. 1 Sinner controversially testing positive for a prohibited substance twice earlier this year.
On Monday, December 9, Tennis Australia confirmed via its X (formerly Twitter) account that Darren Cahill, one of Sinner's two coaches, is the recipient of the 2024 Coaching Excellence (Performance) award.
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Nick Kyrgios soon took notice of it and lashed out, writing:
"@TennisAustralia This is a joke right - have some class and integrity people," Kyrgios wrote on X.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and Jannik Sinner announced in the buildup to the 2024 US Open that the Italian had twice tested positive for Clostebol in March. The announcement also revealed that an ITIA-appointed independent tribunal had investigated Sinner's case and ruled that the Italian himself was not to blame for his exposure to the banned substance.
However, these developments sparked outrage, and Nick Kyrgios urged the authorities to ban Jannik Sinner for two years. Meanwhile, Sinner's on-court performances remarkably remained undisturbed despite the off-court controversies. The Italian went on to win the US Open title, one of eight ATP Tour-level titles he clinched in 2024.
Kyrgios recently delivered a stinging reaction to Sinner narrating his difficulties after he found out that he had tested positive for Clostebol.
"You tested for steroids" - Nick Kyrgios' blunt take on Jannik Sinner's 'tough time' confession
In a recent interview with Esquire, Jannik Sinner laid bare the troubles he encountered after the details of his Clostebol-positive tests were communicated to him.
"It was a tough time. I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. I couldn’t vent or get help. All the people who knew me and watched me play understood that there was something wrong with me. I had sleepless nights, because even if you are certain of your innocence, you know that these things are complex," Sinner told Esquire.
The World No. 1 went on to talk about his anxiety at facing people after the details were made public ahead of the 2024 US Open.
"Everyone immediately told the truth and that allowed me to play. But at Wimbledon, I was white. And even afterwards, my feeling with people was fearful. I went into training at the Cincinnati clubhouse and thought, ‘How are they looking at me? What do they really think of me?’ I realized who my real friends are," Sinner added.
A popular tennis page on X later shared these excerpts from Sinner's interview, which prompted Kyrgios to write a scathing response.
"Yes. You tested for steroids. Very hard to talk to other people who aren’t," Kyrgios wrote.
Sinner's doping row isn't done and dusted yet. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed against the ITIA-appointed independent tribunal's ruling, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear WADA's appeal next year. Sinner though, has expressed confidence that like the independent tribunal, CAS too will rule in his favor.
