Nick Kyrgios accepts one-month cocaine ban and enters treatment programme

Nick Kyrgios once described the positive drug tests of fellow players Jannik Sinner and Iga Świątek as disgusting for our sport. Now, the 31-year-old Australian has secured a one-month suspension for his own positive cocaine test — a penalty far lighter than the multi-year bans that can accompany such violations.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that Kyrgios is eligible to return to professional tennis as of September 3, 2026. The decision follows a provisional suspension that began on August 4 after a sample provided at an ATP event in Majorca on June 22 tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine.

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The leniency of the sanction hinges on the distinction between "in-competition" and "out-of-competition" use. Kyrgios claimed his cocaine use occurred socially during a night out before he was scheduled to play in Majorca. To verify this, the ITIA consulted an independent scientific expert from a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory, who determined the explanation was consistent with the cocaine levels found in the sample. Because the use was deemed to have occurred outside of competition, Kyrgios avoided a potential four-year ban, according to Fox Sports.

Under WADA rules, the standard suspension for this type of offence is three months. However, this can be reduced to one month if the athlete enters an approved treatment programme. The ITIA confirmed that Kyrgios has entered such a programme, which effectively shortened his ban to 31 days.

The result has drawn scrutiny from peers. Stefanos Tsitsipas told reporters at the US Open that he was not surprised by the revelation, stating, I knew those were things that were happening away from the tennis court. Karen Khachanov suggested that Kyrgios would have to reap what you sow.

The "mistake," as Kyrgios termed it on Instagram, coincides with a period of severe physical and mental decline. After reaching the Wimbledon final in 2022, Kyrgios has been sidelined by knee and wrist problems, including a complete reconstruction of his right wrist in 2024. These injuries, combined with a lack of competitive play — he has appeared in only four singles matches this season, have seen his world ranking collapse to 918 (though Yahoo reports it as 919).

Kyrgios linked his drug use to the psychological toll of this physical deterioration.

"My body hasn't been able to do what my mind expects it do, and coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined,"

Nick Kyrgios, via Yahoo

He added that he had felt hopeless and alone at times, but viewed the positive test as a wake-up call. To facilitate his recovery, he announced a 28-day break from social media to focus on getting myself right.

While the suspension is nominally over, the financial and professional costs remain:

• Forfeiture: Kyrgios must surrender the €6,570 in prize money and all ranking points earned from his first-round appearance in Majorca.
• Legal History: The incident adds to a volatile record that includes numerous fines for on-court abuse and a 2023 guilty plea in Canberra for pushing over a former girlfriend.

The immediate prospect of a return to competition is now dependent on a single condition. Although the calendar date of September 3 has passed, the ITIA specified that the end of the suspension is subject to the successful completion of the mandated treatment programme.

Precedent and Comparative Sanctions

The leniency granted to Kyrgios contrasts with previous cocaine violations under different regulatory eras. Dan Evans received a one-year ban in 2017 for out-of-competition cocaine use, though the rules were changed in 2021 to reduce such penalties, according to Yahoo.

Kyrgios had previously criticized the brief suspensions given to other players for doping violations. Jannik Sinner served a three-month ban after initially being cleared of blame for two positive steroid tests, while Iga Świątek was suspended for one month after an investigation found she had unknowingly taken contaminated medication, as reported by Yahoo.

The ability to return to the tour comes at a time of significant physical fragility. Beyond the wrist reconstruction in 2024, the 31-year-old has undergone numerous surgeries. His last competitive singles appearance was a first-round loss to fellow Australian Adam Walton in Majorca, according to Yahoo and Malay Mail.

The resolution of this case now clears the path for a potential return to the Australian Open, an event where he has appeared in the singles draw only once since 2022, as noted by Fox Sports.

While the suspension period officially concluded on September 3, the ITIA maintains that his eligibility is strictly conditional. For Kyrgios, the next step is the successful completion of the mandated treatment programme.