2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli is tired of hearing Nick Kyrgios criticizing Jannik Sinner and also took a dig at the Australian's record in comparison to his.
Jannik Sinner's doping case has generated attention worldwide. The current ATP world No. 1 twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol at March's Indian Wells Open, which came as a shock to him.
Sinner swiftly realized that contamination took place from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing traces of the banned substance on his fingers before giving him a massage without gloves.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted Sinner's explanation and determined that the Italian bore no fault or negligence. His only punishment was losing prize money and ranking points from the Indian Wells Open.
However, Sinner's nightmare is not over. The World Anti-Doping Agency appealed his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing that he bore some fault for a team member having a product containing a prohibited substance.
Many have come to Sinner's defense since the story became public a few days before the US Open. John McEnroe recently said he leans toward believing Sinner even though how the contamination happened was bizarre.
Sinner helped Italy win back-to-back Davis Cups last month. The country's captain, Filippo Volandri, aggressively defended the two-time Grand Slam champion and said him receiving a ban would be one of the biggest disgraces in tennis history.
In stark contrast, Kyrgios has repeatedly gone after Sinner. The 29-year-old wants him banned for two years and doubts that the clostebol entered his system accidentally. He stated it enhanced his performance.
It is important to note that the World Anti-Doping Agency does not dispute Sinner's explanation of how the clostebol entered his system and the amount was only a billionth of a gram. That is not enough to enhance a player's performance.
Although the evidence does not support some of Kyrgios' criticisms, he is not the only player to express unhappiness with the case's handling. But no other player has been as pointed in his remarks about Sinner.
Kyrgios recently promised to show Sinner no respect if they met at the Australian Open and wants to turn the entire crowd against him. Bartoli, a respected commentator and analyst since retiring, has had enough of the Australian's comments.
The former Wimbledon winner, who spoke to RMC Sports, said she is fed up with Kyrgios' talking about her compatriot and reminded him that Sinner has two Grand Slams while Kyrgios' last appearance was in the summer of 2023 at the Stuttgart Open.
"I am not surprised, because Kyrgios lives and breathes nothing but provocative statements. I would remind you that this is a player who was capable of saying absolute horrors to Stan Wawrinka, who is one of the most polite, most loved and most respected players on a tennis court, at a Masters 1000 in the middle of a match."
"We don’t even know what’s going through his head, I’m not even going to tell you what he said, those who follow tennis know. Now, with all his provocative statements, after a while, you just get fed up. It’s enough!"
"In any case, Sinner isn’t going to respond. And if he plays it on the court, even if it’s still tennis, on the one hand we have a player who is world No 1, has just won two Grand Slams and has become virtually unbeatable, and on the other a Nick Kyrgios who hasn’t played in official competition since June 13, 2023."
The controversial figure's absence from the ATP Tour will end at the Brisbane International, starting December 30th. He and Novak Djokovic have committed to playing in the doubles at the event.
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