- Nick Kyrgios has once again attacked doping in tennis after calling it “disgusting”
- A string of stars have received bans this year after violating anti-doping rules.
- The Australian was eliminated from the Brisbane International singles tournament on Tuesday.
Nick Kyrgios has spoken out again about doping in tennis, responding to social media users who mocked his exit from the Brisbane International on Tuesday night.
The Australian, 29, has been outspoken on the issue of doping this year, particularly lashing out at Jannik Sinner, who failed two doping tests for clostebol in March.
Iga Swiatek also received a one-month suspension for a positive test for a banned substance, while Max Purcell also received a suspension after admitting to violating the sport’s anti-doping rules.
Ahead of the Brisbane International, Kyrgios called Sinner and Swiatek’s infringements “disgusting to our sport”, but the Australian has spoken publicly about the matter again, this time responding to a social media user who mocked him.
It came after his loss to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Tuesday in his return to the ATP Tour.
Kyrgios suffered a 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 defeat in what was an exciting match, with his 21-year-old French opponent hitting 36 aces during the clash.
Nick Kyrgios has taken to X to hit back at tennis stars who have been banned from doping after a journalist mocked him for crashing at the Brisbane International tournament.
Kyrgios made his long-awaited return to the ATP Tour this week, following a long injury layoff.
The Australian star teamed up with Novak Djokovic in men’s doubles, but the pair were eliminated from the tournament on Wednesday.
The Australian has made one competitive singles start on the ATP Tour in the last 18 months, and the Australian underwent wrist surgery after suffering a serious wrist injury.
While he impressed upon his return, one social media user mocked him.
“Nick Kyrgios gets 7-6 6-7 7-6 off the court by yours truly 10 years younger than him,” the X user wrote, adding a clip from the movie The Substance, in which a woman shows off her disdain for someone younger than them being more successful than them.
Kyrgios appeared to see the funny side for the first time and added a “smiley face” emoji before writing: “I haven’t tested positive for any drug tests yet though.”
Kyrgios also suffered a loss in the men’s doubles at the Brisbane International on Wednesday alongside Novak Djokovic.
They were defeated 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 by Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus, painfully missing out on a place in the next round by two points in the final set tiebreaker.
Despite that, the pair once again dazzled on court, even dancing together while celebrating a point, with Kyrgios entertaining fans at the Queensland Tennis Center by performing a tweener.
Meanwhile, Kyrgios claimed it would be a “miracle” if he could play in the Australian Open this summer.
Kyrgios (pictured) was also defeated by Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the men’s singles event.
It comes as he claimed it would be a “miracle” if he could play in this year’s Australian Open.
During his match against Perricard, he seemed to suffer some discomfort in his wrist, so he called his physiotherapist to the court to administer some treatment.
While he has shown great progress in recovering from the wrist injury, Kyrgios admitted that the issue was still causing him some problems.
“I felt like I’d been hit by a bus after the doubles match,” he said after admitting that his wrist was “throbbing like shit.”
“For my wrist, it’s all new ground… I went from practicing with unranked people to taking on the biggest server… on the planet and, ‘let’s see how you do.'”
‘Tomorrow is going to be a hard day for my doll.
“I was very excited about the Australian Open and after today… the reality was fair.
‘(Winning one) might be one of the hardest things to do in any sport.
‘I almost need a miracle and for the stars to align for my wrist to safely endure a Grand Slam.
“But I’m very happy to be part of the Australian summer again.
‘I don’t take it for granted; “To play against a top player like that again…smiling to myself knowing I’m right in the thick of the battle.”