Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has strongly criticised the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for its lenient treatment of world number one Jannik Sinner after the Italian tested positive twice for the banned steroid clostebol in March.

Speaking ahead of his return to action at the Brisbane International following an 18-month injury hiatus, Kyrgios described the integrity of the sport as “awful.”

The ITIA accepted Sinner’s explanation that the banned substance entered his system through contamination from his physiotherapist and decided against suspending him. However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with a verdict still pending.

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“Tennis integrity right now, and everyone knows it, but no one wants to speak about it — it’s awful,” Kyrgios said. “It’s actually awful, and it’s not okay. I know people don’t like it when I speak out, but I just want to be honest.”

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Kyrgios questioned the ITIA’s decision, pointing to Sinner’s repeated violations. “He did fail two doping tests at separate times. If he didn’t do anything wrong, why did they take his prize money and points away? Obviously, they found something wrong with it.”

This incident comes amid another doping controversy in 2024, involving former women’s world number one Iga Swiatek, who received a one-month suspension after the ITIA concluded her violation was unintentional.

“Two world number ones both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport. It’s a horrible look,” Kyrgios remarked, warning of the damaging impact such cases have on tennis’s reputation.

Returning to competitive play after undergoing wrist surgery, Kyrgios expressed caution about his readiness for high-level competition. “I’m going to take it day by day. If I play a long match or jam it the wrong way, who knows how it’ll pull up the next day.”

Kyrgios’s comeback begins with a match against rising French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, marking his first appearance since the 2022 US Open.