Kyrgios and Osaka Pay Tribute to Kobe Bryant at US Open

Nick Kyrgios made his long-awaited return to competitive tennis on Wednesday, participating in a special tribute match for NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Partnering with Naomi Osaka in the US Open Mixed Madness event, the duo donned Bryant jerseys but were ultimately defeated by Taylor Fritz and Amanda Anisimova. This marked Kyrgios's first match in nearly two years, as he continues to engage with fans through his candid commentary on the sport. In a separate but related development, Kyrgios expressed strong opinions regarding Jannik Sinner's recent drug test controversy. Following Sinner's escape from a two-year ban after failing two anti-doping tests, Kyrgios called for stricter penalties, arguing that athletes should face severe consequences for such violations. Sinner's team attributed the banned substance, clostebol, to a topical spray used by his physio, which was legally purchased in Italy. The International Tennis Integrity Unit announced that Sinner was found to be at "no fault or negligence" for the presence of clostebol in his system, which was detected in an extremely minute quantity. Despite this, Sinner faced a penalty of 400 ranking points and a $250,000 fine, reflecting the prize money he earned at Indian Wells. The tribunal concluded that the trace amount of the substance would not have had any performance-enhancing effects. Kyrgios's outspoken stance on the issue has resonated with fans, highlighting the ongoing debate surrounding doping regulations in professional sports.