Nick Kyrgios returns to the court in surprise US Open appearance with Naomi Osaka just hours after Jannik Sinner's drug test controversy... as Aussie pays special tribute to Kobe Bryant
- Nick Kyrgios returned to court on Wednesday
- He played doubles with Naomi Osaka in New York
- It is the first time he has played a match since January 2023
Nick Kyrgios played his first game in almost two years on Wednesday as the Australian returned to the court in a special tribute to Kobe Bryant.
Just hours after calling for Jannik Sinner to be banned for two years following his drug test controversy, Kyrgios teamed up with tennis friend Naomi Osaka for their semi-finals match in the US Open Mixed Madness event ahead of the tournament proper.
The duo wore Kobe Bryant jerseys in a fitting tribute to the NBA legend, but were unable to get past Taylor Fritz and Amanda Anisimova in their doubles match.
But it represented a positive step in the right direction for Kyrgios, who has not played a match since January 2023 due to long-standing knee and wrist injuries.
Kyrgios has remained intrinsically linked with tennis during his break, however, having taken up punditry roles with the BBC and Eurosport to cover Wimbledon and the Australian Open respectively.
Fans have taken to Kyrgios's no-nonsense takes on tennis, and he spoke freely on Tuesday when discussing Sinner's drug saga after the Italian escaped a ban for failing two anti-doping tests.
Sinner tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol during the Indian Wells tournament on March 10 and then again just eight days later.
The Italian was provisionally suspended but successfully appealed and was eligible to keep playing on the ATP tour while the International Tennis Integrity unit assessed all the evidence.
Nick Kyrgios returned to the tennis court with Naomi Osaka on Wednesday
The Australian tennis star has not played in a match since January 2023 due to injuries
His appearance comes hours after he blasted Jannik Sinner's drug controversy
Sinner's explanation for the banned substance entering his system was due to his physio Umberto Ferrara using a spray that contained clostebol to treat a wound on the tennis star's finger.
The 23-year-old's team explained Ferrara had purchased the spray in Italy, one of the few countries that allows people to purchase products containing clostebol over-the-counter.
However, Kyrgios was not buying the explanation and called for Sinner to be suspended.
'Ridiculous - whether it was accidental or planned,' Kyrgios wrote on X.
'You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance... you should be gone for 2 years.
'Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream.... Yeah nice'.
The news of Sinner's failed tests was announced on Tuesday by the International Tennis Integrity unit, who declared Sinner was at 'no fault or negligence'.
However, Sinner was docked 400 ranking points as well as $250,000 dollars, the amount of ranking points and prize money he earned at Indian Wells.
The investigation found Sinner had a miniscule amount of clostebol in his system, equivalent to less than a billionth of a gram.
'There is no suggestion the tiny concentration in his system would have had any performance enhancing effect,' the tribunal said.
