Nick Kyrgios provisionally suspended after testing positive for cocaine

Nick Kyrgios provisionally suspended after testing positive for cocaine

Nick Kyrgios has been provisionally suspended from professional tennis after testing positive for cocaine, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced Wednesday, August 19, 2026.

The provisional suspension, which took effect August 4, follows a positive test result for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. According to the ITIA and other reports, the sample was collected during an ATP 250 event at the Mallorca Championships in June. A World Anti-Doping Agency lab confirmed the presence of the banned stimulant on July 17.

Kyrgios, 31, has not appealed the suspension. In a statement released Wednesday via Instagram, the former Wimbledon finalist admitted to the violation.

"I made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it. I’m sorry to my fans, my family, my sponsors and everyone close to me. Above all, I’m sorry to the kids who follow me. I know the example this sets and I’m deeply disappointed in myself."

Nick Kyrgios, tennis player, via Instagram

The Australian player attributed his actions to the mental and physical strain of recent years. Kyrgios has struggled with serious injuries, including a full rupture of a stabilizing ligament in his wrist that required reconstruction in September 2023. These setbacks limited him to just four matches in 2026. He missed his home Grand Slam this year after a first-round loss the previous year while dealing with abdominal discomfort.

"I’m not going to make excuses, but I do want to give some context about where I’ve been. The last couple of years of injuries have taken a huge toll on me, both physically and mentally. My body hasn’t been able to do what my mind expects it to do, and coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined,"

Nick Kyrgios, tennis player, via Instagram

Kyrgios added that he has felt helpless and alone while letting go of the sport that has defined his life. This is not the first time the player has discussed his struggles; in a 2022 Instagram post and a 2020 interview with the Sydney Telegraph, he spoke about managing depression, loneliness, and the abuse of drugs and alcohol.

The final length of the ban will depend on two primary factors: whether the drug was taken deliberately and whether the usage occurred before the Mallorca tournament began. At that event, Kyrgios lost his opening match in straight sets to countryman Adam Walton.

The incident follows a career marked by both elite success and volatility. A former world No. 13, Kyrgios reached the Wimbledon final in 2022 and is among the few players to defeat Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. However, he has faced criticism for his on-court behavior and off-court actions. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to the common assault of his then-girlfriend Chiara Passari, though the charge was later dismissed in an Australian court. He was also admonished for comments regarding WTA player Anna Kalinskaya.

Kyrgios has previously criticized other anti-doping cases. He described the impact on tennis as disgusting when Iga Świątek and Jannik Sinner tested positive for trimetazidine and clostebol, respectively, in instances that authorities determined were caused by contamination.

Other players have faced similar cocaine-related penalties. Richard Gasquet was provisionally banned for 12 months in 2009, though the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted a defense that he was contaminated by kissing a woman in a nightclub. Dan Evans, who retired earlier this summer, served a one-year ban after a positive test in 2017.

Kyrgios stated he will now step away from the public eye and social media for 28 days to focus on getting myself right and work on himself.