"Ridiculous" - Nick Kyrgios calls for 2-year ban on Jannik Sinner after failed drug test, Denis Shapovalov claims double standards in treatment
Nick Kyrgios believes Jannik Sinner should have received a two-year ban for failing a drug test twice in March. Meanwhile, Denis Shapovalov expressed frustration over the apparent inconsistencies in how players are treated by authorities.
A major development involving World No. 1 Jannik Sinner emerged on Tuesday, August 20. The Italian tested positive for clostebol, a performance-enhancing steroid, on two separate occasions. Despite these positive results, Sinner continued to compete, as his appeals on both occasions were successful.
According to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) report, Jannik Sinner's physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, unintentionally contaminated him with a banned substance. Naldi had applied an over-the-counter spray to a cut on his own hand and subsequently treated Sinner, transferring the substance.
Sinner's lawyers stated that "less than a billionth of a gram" of clostebol was found in his system. The ITIA and a separate independent tribunal conducted their investigations and found no fault or negligence on Sinner's part.
Australian player Nick Kyrgios, however, is not in favor of the ruling. He took to X to suggest that Sinner should have received a two-year ban irrespective of his intent.
"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," Kyrgios wrote on X.
He also controversially added that 'players who do blow [smoke marijuana] get more of a punishment then players who do steroids'.
Denis Shapovalov, who was involved in a controversy during his recent Citi Open quarterfinal against Ben Shelton, felt there was a double standard in the treatment of players.
"Different rules for different players," the Canadian wrote on X.
British player Liam Broady also weighed in on the controversy, stating that it reflected poorly on the authorities.
"So he did something wrong or he didn’t?" - Nick Kyrgios questions Jannik Sinner's punishment
Although Sinner was cleared of any wrongdoing, he faced consequences for the positive tests that occurred during the Masters 1000 event. His punishment included forfeiting 400 ranking points and the $325,000 prize money earned from reaching the Indian Wells semifinals.
Nick Kyrgios' initial tweet, in which he called for a two-year ban on Sinner, was questioned by a fan who stated that the amount of substance was so minimal it wouldn't even improve the performance of a small animal.
"Then why did they take prize money and points from Indian wells? So he did something wrong or he didn’t? Because they did say he failed 2 tests," Kyrgios replied.
On his part, Sinner released a statement addressing the controversy, expressing his continued commitment to the anti-doping program and his desire to move past this challenging period.