Nick Kyrgios has become embroiled in another explosive social media row after taking a shot at tennis journalist Scott Barclay. The Australian has been vocal this week over the controversy surrounding world No.1 Jannik Sinner, who avoided a suspension from the authorities despite testing positive for the banned substance clostebol.
Sinner attributed his test results, taken from Indian Wells in March, to the actions of his physio.
He claimed Giacomo Naldi had given him bare handed body massages after treating a cut on his own hand with the healing spray, with the International Tennis Integrity Agency accepting the Italian had not been negligent in the process.
Kyrgios didn’t hold back with his views over the verdict, posting on X: “Ridiculous – whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance, you should be gone for two years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream. Yeah nice.
Barclay, who co-hosts the Murray Musings podcast and is a self-confessed fan of the Scot, responded forcefully. “OMG, all of Jannik Sinner’s peers are speaking out against him’ and then you look at who it is and it’s f***ing Nick Kyrgios,” he wrote.
Kyrgios inevitably hit back, pointing out that Murray himself was vociferous about the subject of doping. “You’ve been riding Murray your whole life, you should also be on this side of things,” he wrote. “Murray was for more doping tests and being clean.
The back and forth continued, with Barclay then referencing the common assault charge Kyrgios faced for allegedly grabbing Chiara Passari in 2021. Last year, the 29-year-old pleaded guilty to the assault charge but was not convicted, with magistrates declaring he had “acted poorly in the heat of the moment.”
“Murray never did drugs and also never assaulted a woman, Nick,” he wrote. “My point isn’t that your opinion is wrong, rather you’re perhaps not the best person to cast judgement.
Despite the argument, the former Wimbledon finalist has continued to rail against the Sinner verdict. And he backed the views of current player Denis Shapovalov, who speculated what professional stars who had been banned for taking contaminated substances would be feeling.
This is exactly the point. Why does it matter?” Asked Kyrgios. “You are either clean or you take steroids.” He added a sleeping emoji to his post.
Kyrgios hasn’t played since undergoing wrist surgery a year ago, but returned to SW19 as a BBC pundit and commentator this summer. He’s also taken on work for the Tennis Channel and ESPN.
