Nick Kyrgios in danger of allowing ‘respect to go out the window’ amid Jannik Sinner snipes
Nick Kyrgios has refused to hold back in his criticism of world No 1 Jannik Sinner following his failed drug tests, but former British No 1 Laura Robson has suggested his criticism may have gone too far.
Kyrgios, who reached the 2022 Wimbledon final, has been an outspoken critic of Sinner since he failed two drug tests last March, as he suggested the world No 1 has been let off lightly after escaping a ban.
After the International Tennis Integrity Agency opted to clear Sinner and allow him to continue his career, Kyrgios posted 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.”
Kyrgios has criticised Sinner once again in recent days as he said: “Let’s be honest… I really want to go out there and I really want to play Sinner,” said Kyrgios.
“If I played him in the Australian Open, I’d get every person in the crowd to get on him. I would turn into an absolute riot. All respect would go out the window and I would just do anything to win.”
Now Robson has given her view on the Kyrgios vs Sinner spat, as she told Eurosport it may have gone too far.
“I don’t think you ever want a situation where all respect goes out the window,” Robson told Eurosport. “If we can avoid that, that would be great.
“It would be super interesting if they played each other, especially in the early rounds, because Nick, he’s an unpredictable player anyway. But if you played him first round, you just know that you’re going to get no rhythm and you’ll be walking side to side on his service games quite a lot as he aces you.
“I think it would have to be close enough for the crowd to get that involved, wouldn’t it? It would have to get to a tight score line and something that they can grab onto.
“I want to say he’s got that challenge on his hands first to keep it really close, and then we’ll see. Because we know that Sinner is going to be sharp in that situation, too.”
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Robson suggested the outspoken Sinner is entitled to his views, but she is convinced Sinner has been given a fair hearing after his failed drug tests.
“I mean, it’s not a shock that Nick is opinionated, and he’s entitled to his feelings,” Robson continued. “They’re not my personal feelings.
“And I would say Sinner’s dealt with the case almost as best as he could, the way he’s been able to compartmentalise everything. He’s done everything by the book, from what I understand, and reading the long, long document from the tribunal. He did everything according to what was asked of him.
“At that point, I think you’ve just got to leave it to the authorities, basically, haven’t you?
“They’ve deemed him able to play. They’ve deemed him no negligence. At that point, in my mind, what’s done is done.
“Obviously, there’s still some lingering concerns because the case has escalated again and it’s ongoing for 2025.
“Nick has his opinion and it will certainly make things more interesting, maybe more spicy if they were to play each other.
“I think when on the court, it’s a different situation. I imagine that a lot of that talk will go out the window if they ended up playing each other.”
