Kyrgios Suspended After Cocaine Positive at Mallorca Open
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Nick Kyrgios has been provisionally suspended from tennis since 4 August after a sample submitted during the Mallorca Open on 22 June tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine.
- The International Tennis Integrity Agency said Kyrgios could appeal the provisional suspension but has not done so to date, meaning he cannot play, coach at, or attend Grand Slams or other tour-sanctioned events pending a tribunal.
- Cocaine is classified as a stimulant and substance of abuse on the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list; reduced sanctions apply for out-of-competition use, but Kyrgios' sample was taken during a tournament in which he played singles, losing in the first round to Adam Walton.
- Kyrgios said on Instagram he made "a huge mistake" and takes "full responsibility," writing that years of injuries had taken "a huge toll on me, both mentally and physically" and that "coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined."
- The 31-year-old has played just four singles matches this season due to knee and wrist injuries, with his most recent appearance coming in the men's doubles at Wimbledon alongside Alexander Bublik, where they lost in the first round.
- Kyrgios said he would step away from social media and public life for 28 days to "focus on getting myself right," and apologized "to the kids who follow me," saying he knows "the example this sets."
Why it matters: With reduced sanctions available for out-of-competition positives, the fact that Kyrgios was tested while actively playing a tournament could weigh against him at his tribunal. The suspension sidelines a 31-year-old former Wimbledon finalist who has played just four singles matches this season amid injury struggles, deepening what Kyrgios himself called "the end of my career."
Ask SkimNews
