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'I made a mistake' - Kyrgios provisionally suspended after positive cocaine test

Talksport · Jake Lambourne · 2026-08-19T09:30:31+00:00 · nguồn gốc

‘I made a huge mistake’ – Nick Kyrgios provisionally suspended after positive cocaine test Nick Kyrgios has apologised to fans after testing positive for cocaine. The 31-year-old has been slapped with a provisional suspension by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme. Kyrgios returned a sample that was found to contain benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine during the Mallorca Open on June 22. He has subsequently been provisionally banned since August 4. A statement from the ITIA read: "While suspended, Kyrgios is not allowed to play in, coach at, or attend any events organised or sanctioned by World Tennis, WTA, ATP, the Grand Slams, or any national association." What has Nick Kyrgios said about his ban? The 2022 Wimbledon finalist has since offered a public apology on his Instagram story, where he admitted he had made a 'huge mistake'. He said: "I wanted you to hear this from me first. "I recently failed a drug test in Mallorca after testing positive for cocaine. I made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it. “I’m sorry to my fans, my family, my sponsors and everyone close to me. "Above all, I’m sorry to the kids who follow me. I know the example this sets and I’m deeply disappointed in myself. “I’m not going to make excuses, but I do want to give some context about where I’ve been. "The last couple of years of injuries have taken a huge toll on me, both physically and mentally. "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. “I’ve always said I didn’t choose tennis – tennis chose me. But letting go of something that has been my whole life is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to face. At times I’ve felt helpless and alone. “None of that excuses what I did. “However, the good news is that this has given me a wake up call. For the next 28 days, I’ll be stepping away from social media and public life while I focus on getting myself right. “I’d ask that people respect my privacy during that time, and most importantly the privacy of my family. “I’m sorry. I’ll do the work and come back better.” Kyrgios has battled knee and wrist issues in recent years - scuppering him the chance of competing at Grand Slam tournaments. Injuries have limited the Australian to just four singles matches in 2026 - losing three of his games. He last featured at Wimbledon at the start of July, where he competed in the men's doubles alongside Alexander Bublik in a wildcard pairing. However, the duo crashed out in the first round having been beaten by sixth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic. Following their defeat, Kyrgios admitted he had most likely played at the All England Club for the last time in his career. The 2022 Australian Open doubles champion stated: "I would probably say (this was) pretty confidently my last Wimbledon. "I was looking around and taking everything in. It would be hard to see myself coming back here again and competing. "It was an enjoyable doubles match. Going out with someone like Bublik, who keeps it pretty light-hearted, it's a lot of fun. "But at the same time, a lot of things were running through my head in the last couple of games, that's for sure." He added: "This has always been a venue and a place where I've played my best tennis, my career kicked off here and my life changed forever after that. "It was tough to have my last service game. I told (Bublik) at a change of ends, 'Look, this is probably my last service game ever at Wimbledon.' "It was a lot of emotions, for sure."