Nick Kyrgios admits cocaine test failure and undisclosed suspension
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Nick Kyrgios has revealed he tested positive for cocaine and served a secret ban from tennis, announcing that he would step away from public life to "get myself right." The 31-year-old Australian, long known for his volatile on-court temperament and outspoken personality, chose to disclose the failed drugs test himself, adding a serious new dimension to a career already marked by disciplinary controversies and persistent injury setbacks.
Kyrgios said he needed time away from the spotlight to focus on his wellbeing, though he did not specify the length or exact terms of the ban, nor precisely when it was served. The disclosure leaves his already stalled career, hampered in recent years by recurring injuries and long spells out of top-level competition, facing a further uncertain and potentially controversial conclusion.
- Kyrgios reveals he failed a cocaine test and served a secret ban
- He says he'll step away from public life to recover
- Adds to a career already troubled by injuries and controversy
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Nick Kyrgios is one of tennis's most recognisable and divisive figures, known both for flashes of brilliant on-court talent and for a career repeatedly disrupted by injuries, disciplinary run-ins and outspoken behaviour. The Australian player, now 31, has never quite matched his obvious ability with sustained success at the top level, and recent years have seen him play only sporadically because of ongoing fitness problems.
Professional tennis, like most elite sports, operates an anti-doping system in which players are tested for banned substances, with positive results normally leading to some form of sanction from the sport's governing bodies. Cocaine is classed as a prohibited substance under these rules, though it is typically treated differently to performance-enhancing drugs, as it is not considered to improve athletic performance.
Kyrgios has now disclosed, in his own words, that he failed a drugs test for cocaine and served a ban that was not made public at the time. This matters because it adds a new and more serious element to a career already shaped by controversy and uncertainty, and it raises questions about transparency in how such cases are handled and what, if anything, tennis authorities will do now that the matter is known publicly.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios tests positive for cocaine as he reveals his secret ban and will ‘step away from public life to get myself right’”.