Nick Kyrgios rejects Andy Roddick's take on Iga Swiatek doping controversy, questions Pole over source of contamination
Nick Kyrgios recently rejected Andy Roddick's opinion on Iga Swiatek's doping row. According to Roddick, testing for prohibited substances should be focused on quantities that can actually enhance performance instead of trace amounts. However, Kyrgios blatantly dismissed the former World No. 1's opinion and explained his own take with a reference to alcohol.
In late November this year, it became public that Iga Swiatek had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ). The Pole was notified of the positive test results in September, but confidentially, and she served a provisional suspension as a result.
The former WTA World No. 1 later accepted a one-month ban after proving that her exposure to the substance was the result of her consumption of contaminated melatonin. Swiatek used melatonin to facilitate restful sleep and fight jet lag.
Recently, Andy Roddick opined on his podcast, Served With Andy Roddick, that tests should eventually revolve around performance-enhancing quantities. Based on Swiatek's test results, the Pole had trace amounts of TMZ in her bloodstream at the time of her sample being tested.
"Do we need to test for one 1 billionth of a gram or something? What is the level where it enhances performance? If it's not one 1 billionth of a gram as everyone has said what is it? Maybe that's where we should move the testing levels to as soon as it starts enhancing performance. Maybe that's what we should be testing for. Until then what the f**k are we doing and why?" Roddick said.
"We should be testing for things that enhance performance and it should be a no doubt that if you have that amount in your system it wasn't a simple contamination thing where it was out of your system by New York a week later. Maybe you don't think the same thing that I do as far as the thresholds that's just my opinion," he added.
A video clip of Andy Roddick saying this was shared by the official Instagram handle of his podcast. Nick Kyrgios, who continues to protest vehemently against what he perceives a lenient punishment for Swiatek, commented on the post, writing:
"Why didn’t she take the melatonin provided by the WTA? Here we go again about the amount - if I drink alcohol and then get tested in the later stages it would be nearly out of my system as well? Does that change the fact that I took it or not? They aren’t testing for the amount lol they are testing for the drug. Oh the kicker is that alcohol isn’t performing enhancing," Kyrgios commented.
On more than one occasion, Nick Kyrgios has confessed that he had faced the legendary Rafael Nadal at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships after a night of heavy drinking.
Roddick and Kyrgios have taken completely different stances when it comes to Swiatek and Jannik Sinner's respective doping controversies that have rocked tennis in 2024. As a result, they have verbally clashed on multiple occasions recently.
Nick Kyrgios controversially insinuates that Andy Roddick "most likely" took banned substances during playing career
Andy Roddick recently made a scathing remark on players who have criticized the perceived preferential treatment of Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek. The former World No. 1 and 2003 US Open champion, without specifically naming anyone, questioned the critics' work ethic.
This prompted a backlash from several fans on X (formerly Twitter), with one of them giving Andy Roddick the 'pro-doper' tag because of the American's refusal to challenge Sinner and Swiatek's continued participation on the ATP Tour and the WTA Tour respectively. The user also wondered if Roddick himself had consumed prohibited substances during his playing days.
To this, Nick Kyrgios replied:
"Hahaha most likely"
Several fans though, were aghast at Nick Kyrgios' insinuation, and proceeded to vent their frustrations at the Australian over his controversial remarks about the former World No. 1.