{"id":863606,"date":"2026-08-19T10:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T10:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/863606\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T10:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T10:00:09","slug":"tennis-star-nick-kyrgios-provisionally-suspended-for-cocaine-use-wral-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/863606\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennis star Nick Kyrgios provisionally suspended for cocaine use :: WRAL.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australian former\u00a0Wimbledon<\/a>\u00a0finalist Nick Kyrgios has been provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after\u00a0testing<\/a>\u00a0positive for cocaine.<\/p>\n

The 31-year-old provided a sample during an event in Spain on June 22, before the presence of benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, was found.<\/p>\n

Kyrgios apologized to his friends and family in a lengthy\u00a0statement<\/a>\u00a0on his Instagram Stories, where he took full responsibility for what he called a \u201chuge mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to make excuses, but I do want to give some context about where I\u2019ve been. The last couple of years of injuries have taken a huge toll on me, both physically and mentally,\u201d he said, adding he would be stepping away from social media and public life for the next 28 days.<\/p>\n

The ITIA confirmed the former world No. 13 had the right to appeal but said he had not yet done so.<\/p>\n

\u201cCocaine is a stimulant and substance of abuse on the WADA Prohibited List and is banned in competition under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme. If taken out of competition, reduced sanctions apply for substances of abuse,\u201d the ITIA\u00a0said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of the nature of the substance, a provisional suspension is mandatory and has been in place since 4 August 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Australian is one of the most well-known names in the sport and reached the\u00a0Wimbledon final in 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, despite his obvious talent, he\u2019s long had a rocky relationship with the sport and has a track record of blowing up on court.<\/p>\n

He has played only four singles matches this year and has slipped down to 919th in the world. He was handed a wild card to play doubles at Wimbledon this year but lost in the first round.<\/p>\n

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