Former Wimbledon Finalist Nick Kyrgios Provisionally Suspended After Testing Positive For Cocaine

by USports EditorsAugust 19, 2026, 2:44 pm >

Former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has been provisionally suspended from professional tennis after testing positive for cocaine, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed.

In 2021, Kyrgios was accused of assaulting his girlfriend.

Timeline of the Case

The positive sample was collected on June 22, 2026, during a lower-tier grass court event in Mallorca, Spain, where Kyrgios was competing while ranked 919th in the world. The result was confirmed positive on July 17, and the ITIA applied a provisional suspension on August 4. The case became public on Tuesday.

A Career Already in Decline

Kyrgios, 31, has struggled significantly since his standout 2022 season, when he reached the Wimbledon final. He has won just 2 of his last 10 ATP singles matches, a steep fall from his peak form. The positive test adds another setback to a career already defined by injuries and inconsistent results in recent years.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

What Comes Next

Kyrgios faces a potential suspension of up to four years under anti-doping rules, though a lighter sanction is expected because the ITIA determined the cocaine use occurred outside of competition. A comparable case offers some precedent: British player Dan Evans received a one-year ban in a similar 2017 case involving cocaine.

Kyrgios Responds

Kyrgios did not dispute the finding and publicly took ownership of the situation. “I made a huge mistake and take full responsibility for it,” he said. He connected the episode to a difficult personal stretch, describing feelings of being “helpless and alone” amid ongoing injury struggles, and announced he would step away from social media for 28 days to focus on his recovery.

Why It Matters

The suspension marks one of the most significant off-court controversies of Kyrgios’s career, arriving at a moment when he was already fighting to regain his footing on tour. How the ITIA ultimately rules on sanctions will determine whether Kyrgios has a realistic path back to competitive tennis or faces an extended period on the sidelines.