Nick Kyrgios makes feelings very clear as Jannik Sinner causes new controversy

Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner has reappointed former fitness coach Umberto Ferrara, who the men’s world No.1 dropped after he tested positive for a banned substance

Nick Kyrgios claims that the tennis world has been ‘played’ after Jannik Sinner reappointed the same fitness coach who he dropped in the wake of his doping scandal. Sinner, 23, confirmed on Wednesday that he’d reunited with Umberto Ferrara just weeks after winning Wimbledon for the first time.

The Italian parted ways with both Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi last year following an investigation into his two positive tests for the banned substance clostebol. Tennis chiefs accepted that the substance had entered his system inadvertently during massages from Naldi at Indian Wells in March 2024.

After agreeing a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency, Sinner served a three-month suspension earlier this year. Critics like Kyrgios believe that the men’s world No.1 got off lightly.

The 30-year-old former Wimbledon finalist has been outspoken about the length and timing of Sinner’s ban which allowed him not to miss a Grand Slam. After Sinner beat rival Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s singles final, Kyrgios posted an asterisk.

On Wednesday, Kyrgios reacted to the news of Ferrara’s reappointment. “Unfortunately this isn’t @TennisCentel,” he posted on X, referencing the popular parody news account.

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In a later post, Kyrgios said: “He got the same doc back. We have been played ladies and gentlemen.” His post included three laughing emojis and five potato emojis.

A statement from Sinner’s team pointed to Ferrara’s ‘important role’ in the four-time Grand Slam winners’ development. “The decision has been made in alignment with Jannik’s management team as part of ongoing preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the Cincinnati Open and US Open,” it read.

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“Umberto has played an important role in Jannik’s development to date, and his return reflects a renewed focus on continuity and performance at the highest level.”

Sinner, though, doesn’t think that his reputation has been badly damaged by the scandal, suggesting that people have already ‘forgotten’ about the issue. When asked if he had any concerns about the reception he’d receive at Wimbledon, Sinner replied: “To be honest, no… I think people kind of have forgotten already a little bit what happened.

“Of course, there are still things, but so many things, new notifications, whatever, coming. So that’s the good and the bad of social [media] that something happens and people don’t know anymore what happened yesterday.

“In the other way, I have good relationship with more or less all players like I had before. Of course, in the beginning it was a bit different. People saw me in different ways. But I think they all saw that I’m a very clean player.

“I never [had the] intention to do anything bad. I always try to be the best I can, having a good team around me. That’s exactly what I try to do in the future. The things I can control, I will control, as I always say, also on the court and off the court. It was an incident, yes. It happened. But yeah, the result also says that I haven’t done anything on purpose. It’s all good.”