Nick Kyrgios performs a shot throughout apply forward of the 2025 Brisbane Worldwide at Pat Rafter Area on December 28, 2024, in Brisbane, Australia.
| Picture Credit score: Getty Photos
Simply days away from his return to tennis on the Brisbane Worldwide, Nick Kyrgios hasn’t minced his phrases in referring to doping-related fees towards Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, labelling breaches of the game’s anti-doping program as “disgusting for our sport.”
The Worldwide Tennis Integrity Company (ITIA) levelled fees towards world No.1 Sinner and former world No.1 Iga Swiatek. Sinner examined optimistic twice for an anabolic steroid in March however prevented a ban as a result of the ITIA decided he was to not blame.
Swiatek additionally accepted a one-month suspension in November after testing optimistic for the banned substance trimetazidine.
“Two world No.1s each getting accomplished for doping is disgusting for our sport. It’s a horrible look,” Kyrgios mentioned at his Brisbane Worldwide press convention on Saturday. “Tennis integrity proper now, and everybody is aware of it however nobody desires to discuss it, it’s terrible.”
Kyrgios, 29, has not performed match tennis since June 2023 as a result of wrist and knee accidents. He was requested about his motivations for talking out on the Sinner and Swiatek conditions.
“Somebody like me … I might by no means even in my complete life ever try to dope on this sport,” he mentioned. “Particularly going by an damage like I went by, clearly there are issues on the market that might velocity up therapeutic, assist me get again to prime stage, assist my restoration.
“There’s so many issues on the market which can be prohibited in our sport that I may have been doing to get me again faster … (however) that’s simply not who I’m. I’m at all times towards that.”
Sinner had efficiently argued that his physiotherapist had by accident contaminated him throughout therapy with clostebol which had transferred from a minimize on his personal hand.
Kyrgios raised questions over what occurred subsequent.
“I (pay) my staff a whole bunch and hundreds of {dollars} to be the professionals they’re, to be sure that doesn’t occur,” Kyrgios mentioned. “So that they knew it occurred. Why did they wait 5 to 6 months to do something about it? He saved his staff for 5 months … that doesn’t make sense.”
Kyrgios will tackle 21-year-old Giovanni Perricard of France within the first spherical in Brisbane.
Will probably be the primary tour-level look by Kyrgios because the Stuttgart Open in June 2023. Kyrgios has been largely sidelined with career-threatening wrist and knee accidents because the 2022 U.S. Open quarterfinals.
Kyrgios can be entered within the Australian Open starting Jan. 12. It might be his first Grand Slam singles match in additional than two years.
Kyrgios, who received the Brisbane Worldwide in 2018, will companion Novak Djokovic in doubles in Brisbane. Djokovic beat Kyrgios within the 2022 Wimbledon singles closing.
Djokovic is the No. 1-seeded participant on the Brisbane Worldwide and can play Australia’s Rinky Hijikata within the opening spherical following the singles draw held Saturday.
Kyrgios and Djokovic are within the high half of the singles draw and aren’t slated to play one another till the semifinals ought to they each win by.
Printed – December 28, 2024 03:24 pm IST
