Nick Kyrgios has aimed another dig concerning the Jannik Sinner doping controversy, this time placing Australian coach Darren Cahill in the firing line.
Cahill, who has coached Sinner since July 2022, won the 2024 Coaching Excellence - Performance Award for his role in guiding the Italian to world No.1 and two Grand Slam titles.
Despite recording a 73-6 win-loss in 2024, Sinner's season has been overshadowed by two failed drug tests at the Indian Wells in March, found to have had one billionth of a gram of Clostebol in his system, which was caused by a massage from his physiotherapist.
When Cahill received the accolade on Monday night at the Newcombe Awards, event host Todd Woodbridge avoided any questions related to the drama.
Replying to Tennis Australia's post on X, Kyrgios was in no celebratory mood.
Kyrgios will feature in the upcoming Brisbane International in preparation for his first Grand Slam tournament since the 2022 US Open.
Earlier this week, Australian former world No.1 Pat Rafter admitted that he believes Kyrgios still has more to give on the biggest stages.
"You can never completely rule out a guy with the talent that Kyrgios has. He's an incredible talent," said the two-time major winner. "I don't know what he's been up to, that's for sure. He's been away from the sport for a year and a half, it's going to be interesting. I don't have any kind of expectations or understanding of how things are going to go for him, but he's got an impressive game.
"Can he maintain that? Can his body physically handle it? Can his head handle it? Those are his big handicaps, especially his body. Playing at a competitive level is totally different from training, so I don't know what to expect from him, I think it remains to be seen. When I say I have no expectations, I mean I wouldn't be surprised at all if he got to the quarterfinals or semi-finals, but I wouldn't be surprised if he lost in the first round either."
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