The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has announced a one-month suspension for Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios following a positive doping test for cocaine, though the duration was reduced due to cooperation.
Kyrgios tested positive for cocaine during an ATP Tour event in Mallorca, Spain, in June, and was subsequently provisionally suspended on August 4. The 31-year-old athlete admitted to using cocaine socially the night before a match in Mallorca. ITIA confirmed that Kyrgios participated in an approved treatment program, which allowed the mandatory three-month suspension for global anti-doping violations to be commuted to just one month. An independent scientific expert verified that the concentration of cocaine found in his sample was consistent with Kyrgios’s account of social use rather than performance enhancement.
While the suspension ends this Thursday, Kyrgios has forfeited all prize money and ranking points earned at the Mallorca event. He has previously issued an apology for the incident, describing it as a “big mistake.”
