- Nick Kyrgios returned to the court on Wednesday
- She played doubles with Naomi Osaka in New York
- It is the first time he has played a match since January 2023
Nick Kyrgios played his first match in nearly two years on Wednesday as the Australian returned to the court in a special tribute to Kobe Bryant.
Just hours after calling for Jannik Sinner to be banned for two years following his controversial drugs test, Kyrgios teamed up with tennis friend Naomi Osaka for their semi-final match at the US Open Mixed Madness event ahead of the tournament proper.
The duo wore Kobe Bryant jerseys in a fitting tribute to the NBA legend, but were unable to overcome Taylor Fritz and Amanda Anisimova in their doubles match.
But it represented a positive step in the right direction for Kyrgios, who has not played a match since January 2023 due to long-term knee and wrist injuries.
However, Kyrgios has remained intrinsically linked to tennis during his break, having taken up commentary roles with the BBC and Eurosport to cover Wimbledon and the Australian Open respectively.
Fans have welcomed Kyrgios’ no-nonsense views on tennis, and he spoke freely on Tuesday when discussing the Sinner drugs saga after the Italian escaped a ban for failing two drugs tests.
Sinner tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol during the Indian Wells tournament on March 10 and again eight days later.
The Italian was provisionally suspended but successfully appealed and is eligible to continue playing on the ATP Tour while the International Tennis Integrity Unit assesses all the evidence.
Nick Kyrgios returned to the tennis court with Naomi Osaka on Wednesday
The Australian tennis star has not played a match since January 2023 due to injuries.
Her appearance comes hours after she criticised Jannik Sinner’s drug controversy.
Sinner’s explanation for the banned substance entering his system was that his physiotherapist Umberto Ferrara used a spray containing clostebol to treat a wound on the tennis star’s finger.
The 23-year-old’s team said Ferrara had bought the spray in Italy, one of the few countries that allows people to buy products containing clostebol without a prescription.
However, Kyrgios did not believe the explanation and called for Sinner to be suspended.
“It’s ridiculous, whether accidental or planned,” Kyrgios wrote on X.
‘If you are tested twice for a banned substance (steroid)… you should be out for two years.
“Your performance has improved. Massage cream… Yes, that’s good.”
The news of Sinner’s failed tests was announced Tuesday by the International Tennis Integrity Unit, which stated that Sinner had “no fault or negligence.”
However, Sinner was docked 400 ranking points as well as $250,000, the amount of ranking points and prize money he won at Indian Wells.
The investigation found that Sinner had a minuscule amount of clostebol in his system, equivalent to less than one billionth of a gram.
“There is no suggestion that the small concentration in his system would have had any performance-enhancing effect,” the court said.