Laura Robson admits it would be “super interesting” if Nick Kyrgios and Jannik Sinner met at the first Grand Slam of 2025 after the Australian’s recent comments on the world No. 1’s doping saga.
The case is still rumbling on after that ruling was challenged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), but Sinner remains able to compete.
Kyrgios was outspoken on X (formerly Twitter) after it was determined that Sinner’s adverse findings were a result of contamination from receiving a massage from his physiotherapist.
The Australian posted in August, saying: “Ridiculous – whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for 2 years.
“Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream…. Yeah nice.”
Kyrgios is set to make his long-awaited comeback to professional tennis after a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a wrist injury and is eyeing a blockbuster clash with the world No. 1 and defending Australian Open champion.
“If I played him in the Australian Open, I’d get every person in the crowd to get on him. I would turn into an absolute riot. All respect would go out the window and I would just do anything to win.”
Robson, who has worked alongside Kyrgios enhancing Eurosport’s tennis coverage during his lay-off, said she hopes it doesn’t escalate to that level but admits it would be an intriguing match-up.
“I don’t think you ever want a situation where all respect goes out the window,” Robson told Eurosport. “If we can avoid that, that would be great.
“It would be super interesting if they played each other, especially in the early rounds, because Nick, he’s an unpredictable player anyway. But if you played him first round, you just know that you’re going to get no rhythm and you’ll be walking side to side on his service games quite a lot as he aces you.
“I think it would have to be close enough for the crowd to get that involved, wouldn’t it? It would have to get to a tight score line and something that they can grab onto.
“I want to say he’s got that challenge on his hands first to keep it really close, and then we’ll see. Because we know that Sinner is going to be sharp in that situation, too.”
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Video credit: Eurosport
Kyrgios underscored his criticism of Sinner and Iga Swiatek, the women’s world No. 2 who was given a one-month ban at the end of November for a failed drug test, by insisting “it’s nothing personal”.
And while Robson believes Sinner has “dealt with the case almost as best as he could”, the added needle would provide another talking point in a tournament poised to be full of them.
“I mean, it’s not a shock that Nick is opinionated, and he’s entitled to his feelings,” Robson continued. “They’re not my personal feelings.
“And I would say Sinner’s dealt with the case almost as best as he could, the way he’s been able to compartmentalise everything. He’s done everything by the book, from what I understand, and reading the long, long document from the tribunal. He did everything according to what was asked of him.
“At that point, I think you’ve just got to leave it to the authorities, basically, haven’t you? They’ve deemed him able to play. They’ve deemed him no negligence. At that point, in my mind, what’s done is done.
“Obviously, there’s still some lingering concerns because the case has escalated again and it’s ongoing for 2025.
“But Nick has his opinion and it will certainly make things more interesting, maybe more spicy if they were to play each other.
“But I think when on the court, it’s a different situation. I imagine that a lot of that talk will go out the window if they ended up playing each other.”
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