Nick Kyrgios eligible to return to tennis after accepting one-month ban for positive cocaine test
Nick Kyrgios will be able to return to the tennis courts beginning on Friday. The controversial tennis player will be eligible to return to the sport after accepting a one-month suspension for testing positive for cocaine, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced on Thursday.Kyrgios was initially given a ban back on Aug.4 after a sample he provided during the Mallorca Open in June found the drug in his system.As part of the agreement, Kyrgios will enter a treatment program, otherwise, his ban could have been for three months, and he has declined the option to appeal his punishment. “During an interview with ITIA investigators, the player explained that his use of cocaine had occurred socially during a night out before he was due to play in Mallorca,” the ITIA wrote in a statement.
“The ITIA consulted an independent scientific expert at a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory, who stated that the explanation was consistent with the level of cocaine found in his sample.As a result, the ITIA accepted that Kyrgios’ use of cocaine was outside of competition.”The ISTIA also said that prize money and ranking points from the Mallorca Open will be forfeited. Kyrgios has been contrite when the suspension was announced in August, writing on social media that he made a “huge mistake and take full responsibility for it.”“I’m not going to make excuses, but I do want to give some context about where I’ve been,” Kyrgios wrote on Instagram.
“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.”The former World No.
13 had played just four singles matches during the 2026 season and has had to deal with wrist and knee injuries in recent years. Kyrgios’ suspension was a topic of conversation at the U.S.Open when a reporter ask...