"We are outraged" - Amid Nick Kyrgios' 'wicked' attacks on Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek & others, fans petition ATP asking for Aussie to be reprimanded

Nick Kyrgios has made some really interesting comments throughout his career, and not all were deemed acceptable. Recently, the tennis star has been vocal about fellow tennis players, who were involved in doping issues. Some of his comments caused debate in tennis circles because fans believed he went too far.

A group calling themselves 'tennis fans' has now officially written to the ATP and other tennis institutions urging them to act in a formal way against Kyrgios, who they believe broke the regulations of the ATP. The group cited the 'Conduct contrary to the integrity of the game' regulation.

"Dear ATP, With this appeal, sportspeople who follow and love tennis, ask the ATP tour to take a formal and substantial position concerning the continuous attacks, defamation and hate speech externalized by Mr. Nick Kyrgios against some of his colleagues." - the start of the letter written by 'tennis fans'

The attacks and defamation mentioned by the group mostly reference what Kyrgios has been saying about Jannik Sinner in recent months, but not exclusively. He made some comments about Iga Swiatek too, though much tamer in comparison.

The Australian has been heavily critical of the Italian and recently admitted that he wants to play him in Melbourne with the promise of turning that match into a riot. He also said that he would play it without any respect, which this group of fans deems rather problematic commentary.

"The role of sport and of those who represent it, is to uphold its founding values of respect and loyalty. No one has the right to strip sport of the cornerstones that define it, from which people get inspired for a better world and youngsters relate, looking for role models. We are outraged and worried by the wicked utterances that Nick Kyrgios expresses, also in the memory of violent acts that have already occurred at the hands of fanatics fueled by hatred." - the letter continues

The group then refers to the code of conduct which was broken by Nick Kyrgios, according to them. They also urged the ATP to act upon that in accordance with rules, but for now, the ATP has not released a statement regarding that.

Nick Kyrgios' shenanigans on social media

Nick Kyrgios has always been quite outspoken on social media and that's nothing nothing new. He famously called Novak Djokovic a tool on X, a couple of years ago.

Kyrgios didn't stay silent during the whole Sinner saga either, calling for him to be banned for two years. He never backtracked on those comments and still occasionally tweets about the subject but mostly to defend his opinions against the onslaught of tennis fans disapproving of it.

Ultimately, that got a few fans to reach out and write a letter to the ATP. Whether they act in any way or not remains to be seen, however, its result might decide how much freedom athletes have when it comes to their off-court statements.