Jannik Sinner just got hit with what might be the weirdest question any tennis player has ever faced at the 2026 Australian Open.
Tennis players are pretty used to all kinds of questions throughout their careers. Press conferences are usually pretty straightforward and professional. Social media appearances? That’s where things can get creative.
But this one was something else entirely.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | 24 | 15,405 | 33 - 3 |
A Quick Win Leads to Podcast Trouble
Sinner started his 2026 Australian Open campaign with an easy victory over Hugo Gaston. Gaston actually retired after just two sets, which Sinner had won 6-2, 6-1.
The world No. 2 suddenly had some extra time on his hands. So he decided to join the official Australian Open show.
The four-time major winner appeared on the "Pod Laver Arena" podcast. Multiple segments, lots of different questions. Standard stuff, right?
Then things got weird. Really weird.
The Kyrgios Connection
One question was about his fellow ATP player Nick Kyrgios. Now, this isn’t exactly neutral territory for Sinner.
Kyrgios has been one of Sinner’s loudest critics over the Italian’s doping case. The Australian openly questions how Sinner got contaminated and hasn’t exactly been gentle about it.
So the podcast hosts thought it would be funny to put Sinner in an impossible position.
During their "Would you Rafter?" segment, they asked whether he’d prefer to play doubles with Kyrgios or North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Yes, you read that right.
“We have been playing a game here on the Pod Laver Arena, it’s ‘Would you Rafter?’ doubles edition, where we put two people on the screen, and you tell us who you would rather be doubles partners with. So, up on the screen we have now Nick Kyrgios and Kim Jong Un.”
An Impossible Question
You can imagine Sinner’s shock. This wasn’t some random podcast – this was the official Australian Open show.
The question put him in a really awkward spot. He probably wanted to avoid saying anything controversial about Kim Jong Un. But he also had to deal with the whole Kyrgios situation.
Sinner handled it like a pro, though.
He said he’d choose Kyrgios as his doubles partner because, well, he doesn’t want to lose. Kyrgios is obviously the more skilled tennis player of the two options.
“Well, playing tennis, definitely with Nick, I don’t wanna lose. I don’t wanna lose. But also to hang out, honestly.”
Pretty diplomatic answer, all things considered.
Social Media Explodes
But the damage was already done.
The tennis community on social media went absolutely ballistic over the question. People couldn’t believe that the two-time Australian Open champion had to deal with something this bizarre on an official tournament show.
Even though Sinner avoided any major controversy with his answer, fans were furious that he’d been put in that position at all.
The "Pod Laver Arena" podcast hosts are probably hearing about this backlash right about now. They’ll likely think twice before asking similar questions in future shows.
After all, it’s going to be pretty challenging to get players to appear if they have to face uncomfortable and bizarre questions like this one.
The whole thing raises questions about how far is too far, even for entertainment purposes.
