Nick Kyrgios described feeling helpless and alone as two years of injuries dismantled the career he built toward his peak in 2022, and said the positive cocaine test that led to his provisional suspension has given him the wake-up call he needed.
The 31-year-old Australian, now ranked 919th in the world after playing just 10 singles matches on the ATP Tour since 2022, said on Instagram that he made a huge mistake and takes full responsibility for it. He said the injuries had taken a significant toll both physically and mentally and that his body had been unable to do what his mind expected of it. None of that, he said explicitly, excuses what he did.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency confirmed the timeline. Kyrgios provided a sample on June 22 at a grass-court ATP 250 event in Mallorca, Spain. The positive test for benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite, was confirmed on July 17. A mandatory provisional suspension was applied on Aug. 4, after Kyrgios had already played at Wimbledon, where he entered the doubles draw with partner Alexander Bublik and lost in the first round.
He has not appealed the suspension. He announced a 28-day withdrawal from social media while he focuses on his wellbeing, and his statement signaled that he does not consider his career finished.
The sanctions landscape
Cocaine is prohibited under competition rules but treated differently when use occurs out of competition. The Dan Evans precedent is the most directly comparable case in professional tennis. Evans, a British player, served a one-year ban after testing positive for cocaine at the Barcelona Open in 2017. Under current WADA and ITIA rules, Kyrgios faces a potential ban of up to four years, though lighter sanctions are standard when the substance is classified as recreational rather than performance-enhancing, particularly when consumed outside competition hours.
The June 22 Mallorca sample was taken during an event, which is the technical trigger for the in-competition ban. Whether Kyrgios can establish that the substance was used outside the competition window remains a key variable in determining the length of his suspension.
The career that brought him here
Kyrgios reached his highest point in the summer of 2022 when he made the Wimbledon final, losing to Novak Djokovic. The following month he won his seventh and most recent singles title in Washington, D.C., defeating Yoshihito Nishioka in the final. Weeks later he reached the US Open quarterfinals before losing to Karen Khachanov.
A knee injury in Tokyo in October 2022 began a long period of absence. He played once in the following two years, citing a wrist injury that caused him to miss Wimbledon in 2023. His 2025 season produced a 1-4 record that included a first-round loss at the Australian Open and absence from the next three Grand Slams.
The 2026 comeback produced a 1-3 singles record before the positive test and provisional suspension ended his season.
Where things stand
His public acknowledgment, combined with his stated commitment to address whatever circumstances led to the decision, follows a pattern he has established throughout his career of being unusually transparent about his struggles, whether physical, mental or personal.
The ITIA case will proceed with the outcome determined by whether Kyrgios contests any aspect of the proceedings or accepts a negotiated resolution. His career ranking of 919th reflects how far the injuries have pushed him from relevance on tour. Whether the positive test is the end of the story or the beginning of a different one depends on what comes next.
He said he will come back better.
