Jannik Sinner‘s world turned upside down back in March 2024 when he tested positive for doping. A banned substance, Clostebol was found in his body which even led to him losing $325,000 and ranking points that he gained at the Indian Wells. Amidst all this, he found his biggest nemesis in the form of Nick Kyrgios. The Aussie superstar, known for his antics, was quick to slam the Italian on multiple occasions. However, in a recent turn of events, Kyrgios seems to have decided not to do it anymore.

During a press conference at the Australian Open, Nick Kyrgios, when asked about the doping saga, didn’t dig much into the case while having a neutral perspective. He talked about the frequent tests he undergoes and emphasized his desire to stay clean throughout his career. “Look, I don’t want to speak too much about it. I think we’ve all been speaking about it. I feel like that’s the only thing tennis has been speaking about the last six months. I’ve been tested four times in the last couple of months. I got tested in my home three days ago,” Kyrgios revealed. “For me, it hasn’t been a problem at all in my career. I’ve been on the tour now for 10-plus years. I’m very confident in myself that I’m not going to be accidentally putting something in my system.”

While Kyrgios avoided diving deep into the doping discussion on this occasion, his past criticism of Jannik Sinner has been unfiltered. Ever since Sinner tested positive for clostebol in August 2024, Kyrgios has repeatedly targeted him. When it was revealed back in August that Kyrgios failed the dope tests at the Indian Wells, however, got away without a ban as an Independent tribunal found ‘no fault or negligence’ on his part, Kyrgios called the decision ridiculous. The Aussie wrote on X, “Ridiculous – whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream…. Yeah nice.”

He later added fuel to the fire with an Instagram story back in November, as he wrote, “No 2 years in the dumps physically and even happy to be back. No cheating the system. This one for all the real ones.” The feud further escalated recently when Kyrgios commented on an Instagram post of Sinner training with Cruz Hewitt. “I love you Cruz, but this is not good,” Kyrgios wrote, later adding, “Contaminated post,” along with a syringe emoji.

On the Nothing Major podcast, Kyrgios revealed his plans for a potential match with Sinner at the Australian Open. “If I played him, I would just get every single person in the crowd to get on him. I would just turn it into an absolute riot. All respect would go out the window, and I would just do anything to win,” Kyrgios said.

While Nick Kyrgios has been fiercely criticizing Jannik Sinner amidst the doping saga, the Italian has found some support from the ex American pro Andy Roddick. Roddick has been at the forefront supporting Sinner and he recently minced no words while having a go at Kyrgios.

Andy Roddick defends Jannik Sinner while lashing out attack at Nick Kyrgios

Andy Roddick did not hold back while addressing Nick Kyrgios’ repeated attacks on Jannik Sinner. Speaking about Sinner’s doping controversy on his podcast Served with Andy Roddick, the former US Open champion shared his nuanced view. “I chose to understand the context (of the Sinner case) and explain it in a way that wasn’t just, ‘You’re doping, kick you out forever,’ but that maybe there was some nuance and maybe our doping protocols were a little overzealous,” Roddick said.

Roddick also revealed his frustration with Kyrgios’ insinuations. “Anyways, he insinuated that because I had that opinion that I must have done performance-enhancing drugs during my career. Open book, tons of tests. So basically, if you test positive you should be banned forever and if you never failed a test, you also have done drugs. That p***ed me off,” the American further added.

While Roddick criticized Kyrgios’ online antics, he also praised the Aussie’s talent. “He’s one of the most talented players I’ve ever seen in my life. He is on par, with just racket wizardry, of the Big Three. He is exciting to watch, you can’t take your eyes off this guy when he is playing well,” Roddick further added.

The 42-year-old, however, did not shy away from highlighting Kyrgios’ hypocrisy. “The part that I have an issue with is the hypocrisy with which he picks and chooses on when to levy judgment on others while also wanting you to digest context of his comments,” Roddick concluded, refering to Kyrgios’ recent comments about Sinner training with Cruz Hewitt.

As both Kyrgios and Sinner for the upcoming Australian Open, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top if they do lock horns at some stage in the tournament. Who will you be backing?