Nick Kyrgios takes a dig at Jannik Sinner as Italian makes controversial change to his team just ahead of US Open

Nick Kyrgios mocked Jannik Sinner's controversial decision to reappoint Umberto Ferrera, the fitness coach who was fired during the Italian's doping scandal. The World No. 1 has made the move with the upcoming US Open swing in mind.

On July 23, Sinner released a statement announcing the reappointment of his former fitness coach, Ferrera. His ex-physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, and Ferrera were at the center of his doping saga at the end of last year. Eventually, the Italian had fired both team members.

However, the latest reappointment has shocked the tennis world. Fans were disappointed with the move. Meanwhile, Kyrgios mocked it on X, writing:

"Unfortunately this isn’t @TennisCentel"

The X account mentioned by the Aussie, @TennisCentel, is a parody page known for posting fake news. But in this case, Sinner’s latest move is very real.

Naldi and Ferrera were pivotal figures in the March 2024 doping case. Naldi, Sinner’s physiotherapist at the time, applied a topical spray containing the banned steroid clostebol to treat his own cut finger. He later massaged Sinner without gloves. Under scrutiny, Sinner initially dismissed both Naldi and Ferrera.

Nick Kyrgios, never one to hold back, fiercely criticized both the incident and Sinner’s handling of it. After Sinner accepted a negotiated three-month suspension, Kyrgios denounced the sanction as too lenient.

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Nick Kyrgios taunts Jannik Sinner over Wimbledon win after doping controversy

Jannik Sinner and Nick Kyrgios at the 2022 Miami Open - Source: Getty

Jannik Sinner’s team stated that ITIA accepted his explanation for the March 2024 positive tests involving clostebol. The organization ruled that the contamination was accidental and found no fault or negligence.

Still, WADA appealed, and Sinner ultimately agreed to a three-month ban, ending May 4, 2025, via settlement. The ban allowed him to return just in time for Roland Garros and later shine at Wimbledon.

Nick Kyrgios hit out sharply when the settlement was announced, calling it a "sad day" and claiming fairness in the sport didn’t exist:

"Obviously Sinner's team have done everything in their power to just go ahead and take a three-month ban, no titles lost, no prize money lost. Guilty or not? Sad day for tennis. Fairness in tennis does not exist."

At Wimbledon, Sinner clinched his first grass-court major, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.

Immediately afterwards, Kyrgios posted a single asterisk ("*") on X, widely interpreted as a not-so-subtle jab. He seemingly suggested that Sinner’s achievement carried an asterisk due to the doping scandal.

Edited by Pritha Ghosh