Kyrgios ban already finished despite admitting to cocaine use
Nick Kyrgios is already allowed back in professional tennis after accepting a one-month ban for testing positive to cocaine.
The polarising Aussie tennis firebrand had been provisionally suspended since August 4, and so the suspension officially ended on Thursday.
Nick Kyrgios of Australia. Getty
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) made the announcement on Friday morning.
In accepting the one-month ban, Kyrgios has committed to a treatment program, which he must complete or risk the ban being reinstated.
The 31-year-old tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine during an ATP Tour event in Mallorca in June.
He told ITIA investigators he had used cocaine while out partying one night before the competition began.
The ITIA consulted World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) scientists who believed the level of cocaine in the positive test was consistent with Kyrgios’ story.
The integrity agency therefore accepted Kyrgios had used the prohibited drug outside competition, leading to a more lenient penalty.
The default ban under WADA rules is three months, but that can be reduced to one month if the treatment program is undertaken.
When news of his positive test broke last month, Kyrgios took to social media to express remorse.
“I made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it,” Kyrgios wrote.
“My body hasn’t been able to do what my mind expects it to do... Coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined.”
News of his suspension was not met with pity or sympathy from any of his fellow tour players, given his history of openly criticising others who have failed drug tests.
Novak Djokovic beat Nick Kyrgios in the 2022 Wimbledon final. Getty
Former world No.1 Simona Halep was among those who took a swipe at Kyrgios after the news broke, while at the US Open this week Stefanos Tsitsipas went as far as to suggest Kyrgios’ drug use was well known among other people on tour.
Tsitsipas and Karen Khachanov both said they could not feel sorry for their former on-court rival.
Kyrgios reached a career-high ranking of 13th in the world and made it to the men’s final at Wimbledon in 2022, only falling to Novak Djokovic.
But a series of injuries have cruelled his career since then, and he is no longer a competitive factor on the professional circuit.
He has slipped to No.918 in the rankings.
It remains to be seen whether Kyrgios will attempt a comeback to play the Australian Open in January.
