Stefanos Tsitsipas says Nick Kyrgios cocaine ban ‘expected’: ‘I’m surprised it came so late’
Stefanos Tsitsipas says he knew about Nick Kyrgios’ positive cocaine test before it was publicly announced and was surprised the Australian was not suspended sooner.
Speaking after his first-round victory over Arthur Fils at the U.S. Open on Monday, the 28-year-old former world No. 3 said he had heard about Kyrgios’ behaviour away from the court from others on tour and had expected the Australian to face disciplinary action.
Kyrgios, 31, was provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after a sample he provided at the Mallorca Championships on June 22 tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. The suspension took effect on August 4 and was announced publicly by the ITIA on August 19.
“To be entirely honest with you, I knew about this before the announcement,” Tsitsipas said. “I knew about all of this before any announcement was made, and when I saw it on social media, I was like, ‘Here we go.’ I kind of expected it, to be honest.
“I knew that those were things that were happening away from the tennis courts. These were behaviours that I personally heard on the tour and heard other people in that same environment saying those sort of things to me. I am surprised it came so late, though.”
Nick Kyrgios tests positive for cocaine
Amelie Claydon
The pair have a fractious history, most notably from their volatile third-round meeting at Wimbledon in 2022, which Kyrgios won in four sets on his way to reaching the final.
Tsitsipas hit a ball into the crowd and later twice struck shots towards the Australian, while the eventual Wimbledon finalist repeatedly argued with the chair umpire and demanded that his opponent be defaulted.
Their dispute continued after the match, when the two-time Grand Slam finalist accused Kyrgios of “constant bullying” and said he had a “very evil side”. Kyrgios responded by saying the Greek had “serious issues”.
The 2022 Australian Open doubles champion acknowledged and apologised for his positive test last month, stating he made a “huge mistake”. He said his struggles with injuries had impacted him mentally, adding that “coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined”.
His positive finding was confirmed by a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory on July 17. Cocaine is prohibited in competition under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, and Kyrgios was placed under a mandatory provisional suspension while the case is resolved.
He has the right to appeal the suspension but had not done so when the ITIA announced the case. While suspended, Kyrgios is barred from playing in, coaching at or attending events sanctioned by professional tennis bodies, Grand Slams or national associations.