Nick Kyrgios makes scathing remark on Jannik Sinner after calls to play doubles with Italian amid doping row

Nick Kyrgios recently dismissed a suggestion to play doubles with Jannik Sinner. According to Kyrgios, he would only play doubles with "clean players". This marks the latest instance of the controversial Australian taking a swipe at Sinner amid the Italian's doping saga.

In March this year, Sinner tested positive for trace amounts of Clostebol, a substance banned for its performance-enhancing characteristics. Shortly after, the Italian tested positive for the substance again. The results of these tests led to him receiving a provisional suspension. However, Sinner's team appealed the decision successfully, and the Italian continued playing on the ATP tour.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) handed the case over to an independent tribunal which concluded that the Italian was not to blame for the contamination. Sinner's team maintained that the exposure was a result of his ex-physio Giacomo Naldi massaging him without gloves. Naldi was reportedly using a topical medication containing Clostebol to treat a finger cut at the time.

These developments were made public in the buildup to the 2024 US Open in August and Kyrgios was one of the most vocal critics of the decision to let Sinner continue playing. The Aussie repeatedly called on the authorities to give the World No. 1 a harsher punishment.

Kyrgios recently hosted a Q&A session on Instagram with his fans. One fan requested the Aussie to play doubles with Jannik Sinner. However, Kyrgios rejected the request, writing:

"I only play with CLEAN players"

Nick Kyrgios dismissing fan's request to play doubles with Jannik Sinner (Source: Instagram/Nick Kyrgios)

On October 4, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced that it would be hearing the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) appeal against the ITIA's decision to clear the Italian of wrongdoing.

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"Why's Jannik Sinner still playing" - Nick Kyrgios after CAS' decision to hear WADA's appeal

Nick Kyrgios (Source: Getty)

Prominent tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg shared on X (formerly Twitter) that the CAS has agreed to hear WADA's appeal over Jannik Sinner's case. While the CAS is yet to confirm when it will announce its decision, its agreement to hear the appeal has been received positively by the Italian's critics like Kyrgios.

The Aussie responded to Rothenberg's post, questioning why Sinner has been active on the tour despite his Clostebol-positive tests.

"Why’s he still playing lol," Nick Kyrgios wrote in response to Rothenberg.

Sinner is currently participating in the Rolex Shanghai Masters. He previously expressed his surprise and dismay at WADA's appeal. However, the World No. 1 and reigning Australian Open and US Open champion believes that the CAS' ultimate decision would be in his favor.