news-engine

← tennis

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios accepts 1-month ban for positive cocaine test after entering treatment program

Anadolu Ajansı · Efe Ozkan · 2026-09-04T18:04:45+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Efe Ozkan 04 September 2026•Update: 04 September 2026 Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios accepted a one-month suspension Friday after testing positive for cocaine and is now eligible to return to competition. The 31-year-old was provisionally suspended on Aug. 4 after a sample provided during the Mallorca Open in June tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. Kyrgios told investigators from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) that he had used cocaine at a nightclub in Magaluf in the early hours of June 20, according to BBC Sport. An independent scientific expert at a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory reviewed Kyrgios’ explanation and said it was consistent with the level of cocaine detected in his sample. Under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, the standard suspension for the violation is three months. However, the sanction can be reduced to one month if the player commits to an ITIA-approved treatment program. Kyrgios’ suspension ended Thursday after he agreed to enter such a program. The former world No. 13, who has dropped to No. 918 in the rankings, will also forfeit $7,636 in prize money. Following the announcement of his positive test, Kyrgios said he would step away from social media and public life for 28 days to “focus on getting myself right.” He has played just four singles matches this season after struggling with knee and wrist injuries in recent years.