Tennis Controversy: Andy Roddick Vilified as Nick Kyrgios and Yevgeny Kafelnikov Lash Out Over Iga Swiatek Saga

Let’s be real, there are always two sides to a camp whenever a controversy airs in the sporting world. Some support the aggrieved athlete, while some draw criticism. And we all know which side of the camp Nick Kyrgios settled in. Days after Iga Swiatek‘s doping scandal stunned fans, the Aussie has taken potshots over former American No. 1 Andy Roddick who sympathized with Swiatek and addressed how the issue could’ve been avoided. Moreover, a decorated Russian pro also vilified Roddick’s candid admission.

The ITIA confirmed that the Polish superstar was slapped with a one-month doping ban after testing positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) before playing in Cincinnati. Though the organization deemed ‘no fault or negligence’ on Swiatek’s part and she served a majority of her ban (22 days) during the Asian swing, fans and players haven’t been impressed with how the Pole was dealt. The aftermath also saw the WTA claim that the Pole’s suspension was an ‘unfortunate incident’, but, Roddick took a step further and negated the whole incident at once.

During an episode on his podcast, the American sensation highlighted that “it’s not even doping just contaminated substances and testing for a billionth of grams and some of the players chirping about these champions that will be hall of famers, when they’ve never put in 2 good days of work together simultaneously in their lives.” While some sided with the 2003 US Open champion’s views, Kyrgios and Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov were far from echoing the former’s views.

Taking to X, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist accused Roddick of siding with “corruption” saying, “It’s just sad at this point. The guy is like a messenger to try and sweep everything under the rug. Haha, he definitely took the side of corruption but I mean I’ve had a couple good days in a row.” Similarly, Kafelnikov wrote – “and it was done without juicing myself”.

However, Roddick ain’t the odd man out. Notably, Novak Djokovic‘s PTPA also lamented the WTA’s doping ban sentence, and recently, a former World No. 7 has slammed the ITIA.

Richard Gasquet slams ITIA over ‘poorly managed’ Iga Swiatek case

The dust from Jannik Sinner’s doping case wasn’t even settled when five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek tested positive for a banned substance. Like Swiatek, even the Italian was handed a no-fault or negligence verdict, but, players aren’t happy with how the chips fell in place following the Pole’s doping nightmare. Especially former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet.

He said, “I think that all sports are quite difficult. All sports can at some point have doping. Tennis can be part of it. Obviously, there was cycling. Now, there is tennis… Anything is possible. Here, we learn everything at the same time and that is not normal, it doesn’t mean anything. It is not up to standard.”

With merely eight days left in her suspension, fans can best believe that the Pole will return to the tour in 2025. After experiencing a rollercoaster of a season, Swiatek will look to outdo crucial concerns by delivering impressive results in the season-commencing events.