Nick Kyrgios took another shot at Jannik Sinner and also warned the world No. 1 that he is hoping to play him at the Australian Open so he could try to turn the entire stadium against him and make it an absolute hell.
In the latest episode of the Nothing Major Podcast – which is hosted by John Isner, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock and Steve Johnson – the 2022 Wimbledon finalist was brought in to be a guest. To no one’s surprise, he was asked about the strong comments he has been making about the Italian’s failed doping test.
During the discussion, Kyrgios insisted that it wasn’t anything personal but that seeing athletes enhance their performance with banned products makes him “angry.” Also, he specifically noted that he hates when a player “acts like a victim” after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
“I haven’t failed any drug tests. Once you get caught, you can’t act like the victim,” Kyrgios bluntly noted.
On X, Eurosport posted a promotional Sinner highlight reel ahead of the 2025 season. After one user remarked that “whitewashing continues,” the former world No. 13 added: “Why are they trying to pull the wool over our eyes (laughing and injection emojis).
Why are they trying to pull the wool over our eyes 😂😩💉
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) December 15, 2024
Kyrgios: If I played Sinner, I’d try to turn it into an absolute riot
After missing the last two seasons due to knee and wrist surgeries, the former world No. 13 is ready to start to his comeback at the Brisbane International and then make his Grand Slam return at the Australian Open. And very early in his comeback, the 29-year-old would like to meet the defending Australian Open champion in Melbourne.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot more, I’ve got something, you know, let’s be honest. I just want to go out there and I really want to play Sinner. Like I’m waiting for it, man. Well, I thought about this and I’ve been thinking, I’ve been talking about it a little bit, like if I played him in Australian Open, like I would get every single person in the crowd to just like get on him. I would just turn into an absolute riot. Like I would lose all respect, would go out the window and would just do anything to win,” Kyrgios said on the Nothing Major podcast.
Nick Kyrgios© Nick Kyrgios/Instagram – Fair Use
So far, the Australian and the Italian have met only once and the world No. 1 won 7-6 (3) 6-3 their 2022 Miami Masters round-of-16 match.
Sinner was once directly asked about Kyrgios’ scathing criticism
At the start of the US Open – which he ended up winning – the 23-year-old was asked if he noticed what the 2022 Wimbledon finalist was saying about him and if he had any thoughts on that. However, the two-time Grand Slam champion wasn’t interested in getting too much into it, pretty much saying the Australian had the right to think whatever he wanted.
“I don’t want to respond to what he said. Everyone is free to say everything. It’s ok. If that is the case, let’s see. It’s gonna be different for sure (smiling). I don’t know what to say. Maybe I say something now and then the reaction will be something else. I’m always quite relaxed. I’m someone who forgets things quite fast. Everyone is free to say everything. It is what it is,” Sinner said at the time.
While the Italian refused to get into a war of words with Kyrgios, he said during the same presser that some people were “sick.” Also, he suggested that it helped realize that not everyone around him was his friend or wanted him good.
“It helps me to see who my friends are and who are not my friends. I wish nobody has this experience to grow because this is a different way of experience, but you also realize that there is also a life outside of tennis, which is much more important than what we do because our daily routine is to hit tennis balls and go in the gym,” Sinner also said at the time.
“Then, you know, you see that some people, they are sick. There are different things that come to my mind. I said, okay, tennis is big for me because it showed me what I am as a person and how important the sport is, but in the other way there is a life outside of tennis, which is even more important.”
It will be interesting to see if Kyrgios gets his wish to play against Sinner at the Australian Open.
Tennis World USA