US Open tennis 2024: Nick Kyrgios, Anna Kalinskaya tweet, Jannik ...
Nick Kyrgios has again found himself in hot water, this time over a tweet directed at Italian world No.1 and US Open winner Jannik Sinner and his partner.
Kyrgios replied "second serve" to a user who posted a photo of he and his ex-girlfriend, WTA player Anna Kalinskaya, taken at a basketball match several years earlier.
The pair broke up in 2020. Kalinskaya is now dating Sinner, and the pair shared a public kiss after each of Sinner's wins on his way to victory in the US Open final against Taylor Fritz on Monday morning (AEST).
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While Kyrgios didn't elaborate further on the post, many users took the tweet as a misogynistic swipe. Kyrgios has since deleted the tweet.
Then on Monday morning (AEST) in the hours after Sinner's victory, Kyrgios replied to a tweet from British broadcaster Piers Morgan pointing out the allegations against Sinner. Kyrgios said "we're witnessing greatness" of Sinner's straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 win over Fritz. The post included sarcastic emojis.
Kyrgios has been one of the most vocal critics of Sinner since news of his doping saga broke, and even claimed the Italian world No.1 should have been banned for two years.
Sinner tested positive to clostebol, an anabolic steroid, in March, but claimed he had not willingly taken the substance.
Clostebol is found in several basic over-the-counter drugs in Italy, but is sold with a warning on the box for athletes to not use it owing its nature as a banned substance.
Nick Kyrgios took a 'misogynistic' swipe at Jannik Sinner on X. Getty/Twitter
Kyrgios was at Flushing Meadows working as a commentator for ESPN. Only hours after the "second serve" tweet was published, Kyrgios was in the commentary box calling the women's final between Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula on Sunday morning (AEST).
There were widespread calls for him to be sacked, even in the middle of the match.
Prominent tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg admitted he was "surprised" that ESPN did not "yank Nick Kyrgios off air" after the tweet circulated.
It's not the first time Kyrgios has come under fire for a comment about a WTA star.
In 2015 - then aged 20 - Kyrgios was engaged in a tough match against Stan Wawrinka at the Montreal Masters, when he told the Swiss ace "Kokk banged your girlfriend, sorry to tell you that", referring to Aussie doubles partner Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Wawrinka was dating Donna Vekic at the time. Kyrgios was fined $10,000 for the comment and given a suspended ban.
Kyrgios has worked as a commentator for Nine and written columns for Nine newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
