'I've Achieved Way More': Kyrgios Hits Out At Rival's Criticism Over Sinner Comments
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Nick Kyrgios is one of the most outspoken ATP players when it comes to Jannik Sinner's doping case, but not everyone is a fan of his statements.
When Sinner's doping case became public, many current and former players felt prompted to make a comment about it. While some felt sympathy for the young Italian player, others felt that the fact that he avoided any punishment was unfair to other players, like Simona Halep, who spent more than a year away from the tennis courts.
Kyrgios, like the likes of Denis Shapovalov, was one of those who wasn't happy that Sinner didn't receive any punishment. He made it known in his comments right after, but since then, the Australian player hasn't stopped commenting on the topic.
He brings it up every now and then, and many former players who now work as analysts told him to stop bringing up the topic. That, however, doesn't seem to be Kyrgios' plan.
Recently, he said that if he had to play against Sinner at the 2025 Australian Open, he would cause a "riot" and make all of the Australian fans go against the Italian player.
Nicolas Mahut, who is a former doubles World No. 1 player and a five-time doubles Grand Slam champion, responded to those comments, saying that regardless of Kyrgios' antics, Sinner would win that match in three sets.
Kyrgios now responded to those comments in an interview with Telecom Asia Sport, as per Tennis365, saying that Mahut wasn't as successful as he was during his tennis career in singles.
"I don’t know if there’s a back-and-forth. Nicolas Mahut, on a global level, hasn’t made inroads like I have, so I’ll let that be. And I don’t think the world necessarily cares too much about what Nicolas Mahut has to say."
"I have people like Mahut telling me to be realistic. He was an amazing doubles player, a Grand Slam champion, no doubt, but he didn’t have the singles career I’ve had. That’s probably why he has his opinion."
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It's true that in their singles careers, Kyrgios was the more successful player. He is a Grand Slam finalist, peaked at the World No. 13 position, which is higher than Mahut's 37th, and has also won almost twice as many singles titles, as he triumphed seven times, compared to Mahut's four triumphs.
"But on the singles court, he never had the belief I have, so that opinion means nothing to me. I’ve achieved way more things playing singles than Mahut could have in his entire career. That belief is what separates players."
"Federer, Nadal, Djokovic — they were the greatest because people were defeated before they even stepped on the court with them. I don’t want to be that player. I’ll always back my ability and my belief."
Kyrgios will get a chance to prove his words about his self-belief at the upcoming Australian Open and also prove Mahut wrong in case he gets to play against Sinner.
Latest Comments
- Kyrgios will do anything to stay in the news.shirley19-12-2024
- A technical error.
MrMustard18-12-2024 - All that is said , all that is done. Nick has 0 grand slams wins. Everything else is hot 🥵 air.MrMustard18-12-2024
- All that is said , all that isMrMustard18-12-2024
- Kyrgios is a jerk.shirley17-12-2024
- If Jessica Pegula had to undergo such horror for using a bannes substance, so do these two tennis players. Penalty should apply to all players regardless of their excuses. They are professionals and know better!!
Stella112-12-2024 - All players should be treated the same for taking banned substances, if your no 1 in the world or no 300 man or woman you should not be allowed to keep playing,,VPH108-12-2024
- Ah, censored again. No one gets to read my comment. LOLjjluvsports08-12-2024
- Reynolds, could you list all the wars started by the U.S. and U.K., or will you run out of paper? Hypocrisy.jjluvsports06-12-2024
- IDK, it looks like to me that Raducanu should praise herself and her team for 'gaming the system' as in playing the points and ranking game. When you look at her season of wild cards, skipping tournaments (including the Paris Olympics!), retiring from losing matches and avoiding qualifying rounds, it seems like there was some plan to move up the ranks without actually playing a lot of tennis. And it worked! Congrats!RealityCheckers04-12-2024