Kyrgios Lashes Out at Tennis Authorities Over Doping Scandals

New Delhi: Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has launched a scathing attack on tennis authorities over their handling of high-profile doping cases involving Grand Slam champions Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek. Dubbing the situation "disgusting", Kyrgios accused the sport of integrity being "a horrible look" on Thursday.

The 24-year-old, who will return to competitive action at the Brisbane International after an 18-month injury absence, voiced his concerns in a candid interview with BBC Sport ahead of the tournament. The tennis world is grappling with controversies surrounding two former world number ones, Italian Jannik Sinner and Polish Iga Swiatek.

Sinner tested positive for clostebol, an anabolic steroid, twice in March, while Swiatek served a one-month suspension after testing positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a banned heart medication. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared Sinner of wrongdoing, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed the decision, bringing the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Although Swiatek's positive test was accepted by the ITIA and she was freed from her ban in December after it was revealed that her sample contained melatonin supplements contaminated with TMZ. Critics claim that there appears to be inconsistency in the handling of these cases.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has also weighed in on the issue, criticizing the ITIA for what she perceived as "completely different approaches" when comparing to her own doping case.

Kyrgios slammed the sport's integrity system, saying: "Two world number ones both getting caught for doping is disgusting for our sport. The tennis integrity right now, and everyone knows it but no one wants to speak about it, is awful. It’s not okay. It’s a horrible look".

The 24-year-old acknowledged that his outspoken views might not be popular, but insisted on speaking out in order to "be honest".