Published on
Tennis star Nick Kyrgios has accepted a one-month ban and entered into a treatment programme following a positive cocaine test earlier this year.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
The Australian was provisionally suspended on 4 August, meaning he is eligible to return to competition from Friday, subject to completing the programme.
Kyrgios, 31, had tested positive for the drug, which is classified as a stimulant on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list, in June, at an ATP Tour event in Mallorca.
He later admitted to having made a “huge mistake” and took “full responsibility” for his actions, adding that his battles with injuries in recent years had impacted his mental health.
“At times I’ve felt helpless and alone. None of that excuses what I did,” he said in a statement.
The former Wimbledon finalist told investigators from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) that he had used cocaine on a night out ahead of a match in Mallorca. Kyrgios would go on to lose his first-round tie in straight sets against fellow Aussie Adam Walton.
“The ITIA consulted an independent scientific expert at a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory, who stated that the explanation was consistent with the level of cocaine found in his sample. As a result, the ITIA accepted that Kyrgios’ use of cocaine was outside of competition,” the ITIA said in a statement.
Kyrgios, a former world number 13, had faced a default ban of three months, but this can be reduced to one month if a person commits to an ITIA-approved treatment programme.
He will also forfeit his €6,570 prize money and ranking points from the Mallorca event.
Kyrgios made his last appearance in the men’s doubles competition at Wimbledon this year. He and partner Alexander Bublik lost to Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić in the first round.
