Nick Kyrgios is free to return to professional tennis immediately, after a stunning reversal cleared him from a lengthy drug ban that threatened his entire career. The Aussie star was facing a potentially career-ending suspension following a positive cocaine test, but the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has accepted that his drug use happened out of competition, slashing his punishment to a one-month suspension that he has already served.
How Close Was Kyrgios to the End?
This whole situation blew up after Kyrgios provided a sample at the ATP 250 event in Mallorca on June 22. Testing detected benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, and he was provisionally suspended from August 4. The 31-year-old admitted using cocaine and took responsibility for his actions. When a positive test for cocaine first emerged, it raised serious questions about whether this former Wimbledon finalist would ever play professionally again. We’re talking years away from the game, potentially the end of his time on court.
The Crucial Details That Changed Everything
The timing of his drug use proved absolutely crucial for Kyrgios. He told investigators he had used cocaine socially during a night out several days before competing in Mallorca. He stated he wasn’t taking the substance during competition. The ITIA consulted an independent scientific expert from a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory, and those findings backed up Kyrgios’s explanation. This led the agency to accept that his use occurred out of competition. Under WADA rules, the standard suspension for this type of offense is three months, but it can be reduced to just one month if a player enters an approved treatment program. Kyrgios agreed to undertake that program, and his suspension officially ended on September 3, making him eligible for an immediate return. He will forfeit the €6,570 in prize money and ranking points earned from his first-round appearance in Mallorca, but that’s a small price to pay for avoiding a much longer ban.
What This Means for a Veteran’s Last Shot
This outcome is huge, especially considering Kyrgios has only played four ATP singles matches this year after battling through several injury-plagued seasons. He’s even openly acknowledged that he’s approaching the latter stages of his career. Now, instead of contemplating retirement, Kyrgios is free to resume his career right away. The decision about when and where he returns to competitive tennis is back in his hands. You know he’s been itching to get back on court, and now he can.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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