Jannik Sinner Puts New Nemesis Nick Kyrgios to Shame After Shanghai Masters 2024 Win

Nandini Rikhee | 15/10/2024
Nick Kyrgios (L) and Jannik Sinner (R)

In a season filled with mixed emotions, Jannik Sinner’s on-court accomplishments have been overshadowed by the doping scandal surrounding him. Although the International Tennis Integrity Agency initially cleared him, backlash from figures like Nick Kyrgios has persisted.

Undeterred by the criticism, Sinner proved his mettle by clinching the Shanghai Masters 2024 title, beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final. This victory prompted fans to question Kyrgios’s own tennis achievements. In fact, some have even gone so far as to compare Kyrgios’s entire career with Sinner’s 2024 season. The data clearly shows that the comparison between the two is one-sided.

Sinner had a dream season, as he not only won two Grand Slam trophies — Australian Open and US Open — this year but also added five more titles to his tally. Of the seven tournaments Sinner won this year, two were Majors, three were ATP Masters 1000 and the rest were ATP 500 events.

On the contrary, Kyrgios has never had a season like this. In fact, the Australian has only clinched seven titles in his whole career. Not having won any ATP 1000 tournament so far, Kyrgios has secured three ATP 500 titles, three ATP 250 titles and one ATP Challengers Tour title.

The Australian player earned a total of $12,486,696 in prize money in his career (both singles and doubles combined), while Sinner won $12,032,935 this year alone. Having secured the number-one year-end ranking in the world, Sinner scripted history to become the first Italian to do so. On the other hand, the highest ranking Kyrgios could achieve in his career was 13.

Hence, the numbers explicitly highlight the disparity between the two players’ performance and achievements on tour so far. It led to fans suggesting that the Australian should focus more on improving his own game rather than criticizing others.

Kyrgios-Sinner rivalry

This comparison is mainly based on the statements made by the Australian player following the news of Sinner’s doping tests. Kyrgios has publicly criticized the Italian even after he received a clean chit from the International Tennis Integrity Agency. Although the World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the ITIA’s decision, Kyrgios continues to voice his opinion on the matter.

While commenting on one of Sinner’s US Open matches, Kyrgios even stated that he wouldn’t be cordial to the Italian in the locker room anymore. However, this made the netizens take a jibe at the Australian, questioning how he could do that when he hasn’t returned to the court for over a year and a half now.

Another factor that has added fuel to the Kyrgios-Sinner rivalry is Anna Kalinskaya, a Russian tennis player. Kalinskaya, who was reportedly dating Kyrgios in 2020, is now in a relationship with Sinner. It could be perceived that Kyrgios’s continuous criticisms of Sinner might be partly fueled by this reason.

Post Edited By: Karthik Raman
Jannik Sinner nick kyrgios

About the author

Nandini tennis writer

Nandini Rikhee

Nandini Rikhee is a Tennis writer for The SportsRush. Having done her bachelors in Journalism from Lady Shri Ram College for women, Nandini has been working in the field of sports journalism for around 3 years now. During the course of this time, she got the opportunity to cover some major sports events and tournaments like the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games etc. She grew up watching Roger Federer hit his iconic backhand and Rafael Nadal his classic forehand. Being a Tennis enthusiast, working for this sport is a matter of delight for her as it helps her enjoy and love the work.

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