Kyrgios escapes lengthy ban after testing positive for drug use
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has escaped a lengthy ban from the sport after testing positive for a banned substance benzoylecgonine (a cocaine metabolite).
Kyrgios has now accepted a reduced one-month suspension from tennis activities after he tested positive to the banned substance in June at the last Mallorca Championships held in Spain.
The tennis player escaped a lengthy suspension after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in its ruling accepted that his social use of the drug happened outside of competition during a night out, prior to the official in-competition window.
The out-of-competition baseline ban of three months was reduced to one month because Kyrgios agreed to enter an approved treatment program.
Recall that the 31-year-old took to social media to tender an open apology after he tested positive for the banned substance.
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In a post shared on his Instagram page, Kyrgios apologised to his family close confidants and friends for letting all of them down.
“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.”
Kyrgios is now free to return to the tennis court having been provisionally suspended since August 4, 2026, his one-month ban concluded.
He is set to return to the sport immediately and has also forfeited his ranking points and prize money from the Mallorca event.
