Nick Kyrgios Tests Positive for Cocaine

Former Wimbledon finalist and Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has tested positive for cocaine in an anti-doping test. A sample collected from the 31-year-old during the ATP 250 tournament in Mallorca on June 22 was found to contain benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) imposed a mandatory provisional suspension on Kyrgios from August 4. Kyrgios acknowledged the result, calling it a major mistake and accepting full responsibility.

The case is now being handled by the ITIA, and the final sanction has not yet been determined. Cocaine is prohibited in-competition, while anti-doping rules allow reduced sanctions in certain cases where a substance of abuse is used outside competition. Therefore, a four-year ban is not necessarily automatic, and the eventual penalty will depend on the findings of the investigation.