Nick Kyrgios, a former Wimbledon finalist, made a public statement on Wednesday admitting to testing positive for cocaine, resulting in a provisional suspension from the sport of tennis.
The 31-year-old Australian, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the singles final of the 2022 Wimbledon tournament, has been limited in his participation in Grand Slam events due to a series of injuries, causing his current ranking to drop to 919th.
Kyrgios took to social media to disclose the details of the situation, acknowledging his failed drug test for cocaine during a tournament in Mallorca earlier this year. He expressed regret, stating, “I made a significant error and accept full responsibility for it.”
Cocaine is classified as a prohibited substance in competitive sports, with varying degrees of penalties depending on whether the substance is detected during or outside of official events.
Having previously discussed his mental health challenges worsened by alcohol and drug use, Kyrgios mentioned the struggles he faced coming to terms with the potential end of his tennis career following multiple injury setbacks over the past two years.
Despite receiving a wild card to compete in the doubles event at Wimbledon recently, Kyrgios and his partner Alexander Bublik were eliminated in the first round.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) will handle the case, revealing that Kyrgios’ sample was collected on June 22, with the positive test confirmed on July 17, following his participation at Wimbledon.
An immediate provisional suspension was imposed on August 4, which Kyrgios has not contested, according to the ITIA.
