“Nick Kyrgios keeps self-sabotaging with misogynist nonsense” – Andrea Petkovic calls out Aussie after his comments on Janik Sinner’s girlfriend
Andrea Petkovic has spoken out against Nick Kyrgios over the allegedly disparaging comments he recently made about Jannik Sinner’s girlfriend and World No. 19, Anna Kalinskaya. The former World No. 9 believes that although the Aussie is fit to be a professional tennis analyst, his attitude towards female players is at odds with him fulfilling that role.
Kyrgios, who last played on the ATP Tour last year, was contracted by ESPN to work as a commentator at the 2024 US Open. While the Aussie gave valuable insights for most of the fortnight at Flushing Meadows, he seemingly undid all of his good work during an interaction with a fan on social media on Saturday (September 7).
The 29-year-old initially published a poll on his X (formerly Twitter) handle asking the tennis universe to pick between Sinner and Taylor Fritz in the men’s singles final. One fan replied to the post with a picture of the former World No. 13 with Sinner’s current girlfriend, Kalinskaya, who he dated briefly in 2020. Kyrgios didn’t take kindly to the response, reportedly making a demeaning comment that has since been deleted from his account.
The controversy, however, reinforced many fans’ opinions on the Aussie’s outlook towards players competing on the WTA Tour, with some even demanding that ESPN fire him from his US Open gig. Against that background, Petkovic expressed her disappointment towards Kyrgios in her latest Substack blog.
“Nick Kyrgios on X. His escapades on there make me sad (and angry but mostly sad). He could be truly fantastic on TV but he keeps self-sabotaging with misogynist nonsense. I may not be a fan of his fashion on TV (but I’m also old – see ‘things that make me happy’ – and a strong believer in suits for men) but his content is great.
“Unfortunately, he taints it with his online persona. The one thing that makes or breaks somebody on TV is their authenticity and whether people choose to believe them.”
Petkovic wrote that Kyrgios’ recent praise of women’s tennis was insincere.
The Aussie also allegedly directed a derogatory remark towards Donna Vekic at the 2015 Canadian Open. During his third-round encounter against Stan Wawrinka, who was romantically linked with Vekic back then, the then-20-year-old was captured by the on-court microphone claiming that the Croatian had previously been physically intimate with his friend, Thanasi Kokkinakis.
This comment led to Kyrgios being banned from the pro tour for 28 days and receiving a hefty fine of nearly $46,000.
