Nick Kyrgios accepts one-month ban after positive cocaine test

Nick Kyrgios has accepted a one-month ban after testing positive for cocaine at an ATP Tour event in Mallorca. The 31-year-old Australian was provisionally suspended on 4 August and can return from Friday, subject to completing an approved treatment programme.

The sample contained benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite. Cocaine is listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency as both a stimulant and a substance of abuse. Kyrgios told the International Tennis Integrity Agency that he had taken the drug at a nightclub in Magaluf in the early hours of 20 June, before his Mallorca first-round match.

The ITIA determined that the use happened outside competition after consulting an independent expert at a WADA-accredited laboratory. Kyrgios played Adam Walton two days later and lost in straight sets. A standard violation could have brought a three-month suspension, but the sanction was reduced after he committed to an ITIA-approved treatment programme, which began on 28 August.

Kyrgios will also surrender €6,570 in prize money and the ranking points he earned at the Mallorca event. He has dropped to 918th in the world rankings and has played only four singles matches this season as he continues to deal with the impact of knee and wrist injuries.

His most recent appearance came in the Wimbledon men’s doubles draw, where he partnered Alexander Bublik. The pair were beaten in the opening round by Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić. Kyrgios has struggled for regular competition since reaching the Wimbledon singles final in 2022, when Novak Djokovic defeated him in four sets.

Kyrgios acknowledged responsibility for the anti-doping violation and linked the period leading to it with the mental and physical strain of his injuries. He had also said he would step away from social media and public life for 28 days after the positive test was announced, using that time to focus on his treatment and wellbeing.