The Italian tennis analyst told the pair to “shut up and let it go” and described Kyrgios’ remark about Sinner’s girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya as “obscene.”
Ahead of the US Open — which Sinner won – The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) revealed the world No 1 had avoided a ban for failing two drug tests in March as it was ruled he bore “no fault or negligence.”
The Italian tested positive for low levels of clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, on March 10 and 18 — during and after the Indian Wells Masters.
Sinner received an automatic provisional suspension for each test, but he was allowed to continue playing after appealing to an independent tribunal for both instances.
The ITIA accepted Sinner’s explanation that the substance had entered his system “as a result of contamination from a support team member, who had been applying an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to their own skin to treat a small wound.”
Kyrgios has been the most outspoken critic of the handling of Sinner’s case and has suggested he does not believe the Italian’s explanation for how clostebol was found his body.
“Ridiculous,” the former Wimbledon finalist declared on his X account after the news emerged. “Whether it was accidental or planned.
“You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream…. yeah nice.”
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Federer revealed he trusts Sinner did not do anything wrong, but added he understands the frustration of those who have claimed the 23-year-old received preferential treatment.
“I understand the frustration of, ‘Has he been treated the same as others?’ And I think this is where it comes down to,” the 20-time major champion said on the Today programme.
“I think we all trust pretty much that Jannik didn’t do anything, but the inconsistency potentially that he didn’t have to sit out while they weren’t 100 percent sure what was going on, I think that’s the question here that needs to be answered.
“But look, it is what it is, and we need to trust the process as well of anyone involved here.”
Speaking on La Telefonata podcast, Bertolucci asserted he did not like what either Kyrgios or Federer said about Sinner’s case.
“Kyrgios and Federer? None of the two I liked on Sinner. You have to shut up and let it go. You can’t take this story anymore,” Bertolucci said (translated from Italian).
In response to a Twitter post about Kalinskaya, who Kyrgios is reported to have been in a relationship with in 2020, the Australian replied: “Second serve.”
While there was no context to the message, some social media users suggested it was a reference to Kyrgios’ history with Kalinskaya.
Bertolucci condemned Kyrgios’ comment as he discussed the backlash Sinner’ has received further in an interview with Fanpage.
“If this had happened in [Carlos] Alcaraz, what would we have said and written in Italy? This is the concept: we are Italian and we defend our athletes and players. Abroad they do the same, I don’t think there’s anything strange,” said the Italian.
“However, it seems to me that I have also seen that from the hugs, from what [Taylor] Fritz, [Jack] Draper, [Daniil] Medvedev say, there is no problem.
“Kyrgios? You can’t stand behind what he says. He made that obscene joke about the second serve, and someone rightly replied ‘then the first one failed’. But you can’t stoop to this level, come on.”