It’s fair to say that Italian Jannik Sinner and Nick Kyrgios haven’t been on the best terms since the former’s positive dope test result shocked fans. Ever since the update broke out after Sinner’s Cincinnati Masters triumph, the Aussie has made his feelings known about the issue. The former American pro Andy Roddick and the renowned journalist Jon Wertheim aren’t happy about it. Moreover, Wertheim also claimed an additional factor fueling Kyrgios’ rage towards the two-time Slam champion.

Sinner tested positive for the banned steroid, Clostebol, during his Indian Wells Masters campaign last year. As the 2022 Wimbledon finalist holds a reputation for being unfiltered, he has been quite vocal about the Italian star’s doping scandal on social media. The World No. 1 continued playing while the investigation was conducted. Later, the ITIA cleared him of all wrongdoing and awarded him with a ‘no guilt or negligence’ verdict. However, that wasn’t the outcome Kyrgios expected.

The Australian ‘Bad Boy of Tennis’ believes that Sinner should be suspended and his strong comments condemning a ‘dirty’ sport have frequently surfaced online. On the latest episode of the ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast, American Wertheim did not hold back his assessment of the former World No. 13. While discussing Kyrgios’s recent criticism of the Italian, Wertheim opined that Sinner’s girlfriend, Anna Kalinskaya, could be the key factor in Kyrgios’ rant.

For those unaware, Kyrgios and Kalinskaya had a brief relationship in 2020. “Beyond the needles and the emojis, he demonstrated such a fundamental lack of understanding of the facts. It makes you think this is not a good-faith effort. He’s the great hero who’s gonna finally be the truth-teller who talks about how corrupt the sport is. That’s not what this is. This is just a personal vendetta. There is a woman involved here who also happens to be a player,” said Wertheim.

That wasn’t all. Roddick was also displeased with Kyrgios’ latest antics after the latter took a dig at teenager Cruz Hewitt for practicing with Sinner ahead of the Australian Open.

Andy Roddick takes a brutal swipe at Nick Kyrgios following unpleasant comments about Jannik Sinner’s practice session with Cruz Hewitt

Andy Roddick was unhappy after Nick Kyrgios aired his displeasure watching 16-year-old Cruz Hewitt, son of Australian former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, indulge in a practice session with Jannik Sinner ahead of the Australian Open preparations. Kyrgios expressed his disappointment with Cruz by issuing a string of comments saying, “Luv ya Cruz but this is wild”, “Thought we were boys”, and “Cooked post” under the young Aussie’s Instagram comment section.

Irked with Kyrgios’ response, Roddick said: “I have decided to lay off because there is this weird thing where he wants the likes. At this point, he is a tennis influencer. He lives for likes, he lives in the comments section. Imagine as an almost 30-year-old man, going into the comments of a 16-year-old who is the best player in the world. If you think he is guilty or not guilty, it’s still a moment when you get to do that.” 

Coming back to Sinner, well the World No. 1 will continue thrilling fans as he prepares to kick off his title defense at the Australian Open, slated to commence on January 12. Are you backing the Italian to win the title in Melbourne second time in a row? Let us know in the comments below.