Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has been provisionally suspended by the sport’s ethics body after testing positive for cocaine, the latest in a series of setbacks including injuries and a first-round doubles loss at Wimbledon this year.
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“I recently failed a drug test in Mallorca after testing positive for cocaine,” the 31-year-old Australian player wrote on social media. “I made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it.”
The International Tennis Integrity Agency said Kyrgios tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, which is banned under the sport’s anti-doping program. His suspension has been in place since Aug. 4 and could last up to four years.
Kyrgios apologized in his post Wednesday, saying he was “deeply disappointed” in himself.
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The Canberra-born player, who gained a reputation for his colorful personality, achieved a career-high ranking of No. 13 in singles and won the Australian Open doubles title in 2022 with fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis. But he has been embroiled in trouble off the court, including pleading guilty to assaulting his girlfriend in Australia in 2023. His struggles with injury, depressive episodes and drugs and alcohol were well documented at the time.
On Wednesday, Kyrgios said recent injuries had weighed on his mental health. “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.”
He said he plans to step out of the spotlight and “come back better.”
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