Nick Kyrgios Returns to Tennis After One-Month Ban for Cocaine

Nick Kyrgios is free to return to tennis after accepting a one‑month ban for testing positive for cocaine – the latest twist in a career that has rarely strayed far from turbulence.

The 31-year-old Australian was provisionally suspended on 4 August after a sample taken during the Mallorca Open in June was found to contain benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. He told investigators from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) that he had used the drug at a nightclub in Magaluf in the early hours of 20 June.

Two days later he stepped on court in Mallorca for his first-round match. He lost in straight sets to compatriot Adam Walton, a low-key exit that now sits in a far harsher light.

After consulting an independent expert, the ITIA accepted Kyrgios’ explanation that the cocaine use took place out of competition. Under anti-doping rules, he could have faced a three-month suspension, but the sanction was cut to one month after he entered a treatment programme. The ban ended on Thursday, 3 September, making him immediately eligible to compete again.

There is a cost beyond lost time. Kyrgios, who has slid to 918 in the world rankings, will forfeit his Mallorca prize money of 6,570 euros (£5,650). When the positive test became public, he announced he would step away from social media and public life for 28 days to “focus on getting myself right”.

The sporting decline has been as stark as the off-court noise has been loud. Once ranked as high as world number 13, Kyrgios has managed just four singles matches this season, his body repeatedly breaking down after years of knee and wrist problems. His last appearance came in men’s doubles at Wimbledon, where he and Alexander Bublik went out in the first round.

After his initial suspension, Kyrgios spoke candidly about the strain of the past few seasons, saying the injuries had taken “a huge toll on me, both mentally and physically”. “My body hasn’t been able to do what my mind expects it to do,” he wrote in a lengthy Instagram statement. “Coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined. None of that excuses what I did.”

Cocaine sits on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list as a stimulant and substance of abuse, a classification that always brings an extra layer of scrutiny. For Kyrgios, scrutiny has been a constant companion.

He has long been one of tennis’ most polarising figures, his explosive talent matched by a combustible temperament. On court he has racked up hefty fines for smashing racquets, audible obscenities and prolonged arguments with umpires, incidents that have both thrilled and alienated audiences.

The controversy has not been confined to the baseline. In 2023 he admitted assaulting an ex-girlfriend two years earlier, avoiding a criminal conviction but drawing widespread condemnation. He has also been criticised for comments widely viewed as misogynistic, and in 2024 he drew fire again after sharing a post from controversial influencer Andrew Tate. Kyrgios later said he had gone “to all lengths” to distance himself from the self-proclaimed misogynist.

He has not hesitated to turn his fire on the sport’s authorities either. This year he attacked the handling of two high-profile anti-doping cases involving Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, describing them as “disgusting” for tennis.

Set against that storm is a résumé that underlines what the sport risks losing. Kyrgios has won seven ATP Tour singles titles and produced a blistering run to the Wimbledon final in 2022, where he pushed Novak Djokovic before losing in four sets. That same year he teamed up with close friend Thanasi Kokkinakis to win the Australian Open men’s doubles title, a victory that sent Rod Laver Arena into raptures and hinted at a sustained run at the top.

Now he stands at a crossroads: ranking in freefall, reputation battered, but suspension served and the door to competition open again. The question is no longer whether Nick Kyrgios can come back. It is how – and for how long – he still wants to fight for a career he admits may be nearing its end.