Nick Kyrgios is free to return to competitive tennis after being issued with a reduced one-month ban for failing an anti-doping test.
The former top 20 player had been provisionally suspended from competition after testing positive for benzoylecgonine, which is a metabolite of cocaine. The substance is listed as a stimulant and substance of abuse on the WADA Prohibited List, with players banned from taking it during competition.
During an investigation, Kyrgios confirmed that he consumed cocaine out of competition shortly before taking part in the Mallorca Open. On June 19th, he attended a party at the hotel where he was staying before travelling to a nightclub in the early hours. It was at the nightclub where the Australian said he took the drug. He went to the Magaluf nightclub with a group of people he met at the hotel party and was given cocaine by another person. He returned to his hotel around 3am.
The day after Kyrgios’ night out, a witness statement was provided from an unnamed player, who said he ‘noticed that the Player (Kyrgios) was showing signs of Cocaine use from the night before.’ The individual also attended the hotel party before heading to their room at 11:45pm.
In their findings, the ITIA concluded that Kyrgios’ “ingestion or Use occurred out-of-competition and was unrelated to sports performance.” He had faced the possibility of a three-month ban, but this was cut down to one month after the former Wimbledon finalist agreed to enter a Substance of Abuse treatment program approved by the ITIA. Kyrgios’ ban ended at 23:59 on September 3 – subject to the completion of the treatment program.
Shortly after news of his provisional suspension emerged, Kyrgios posted a statement on Instagram, saying he ‘takes full responsibility’ for what he describes as a ‘huge mistake.’ He has yet to publicly comment on the outcome of his investigation.
Kyrgios, who has beaten every member of the Big Three, has won seven ATP titles and was runner-up at four others. His best Grand Slam performance was reaching the final of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships before losing to Novak Djokovic.
