Nick Kyrgios admitted he tested positive for cocaine, citing the incident as a “wake up call” Wednesday after feeling “helpless and alone.”
The fiery former Wimbledon finalist came clean on his Instagram Story and has been provisionally suspended since Aug. 4 after failing a drug test on June 22 during the lower-tier grass court event in Mallorca, Spain.
Kyrgios is confronted with a ban from tennis that ranges from three months to four years. If it’s found he did not use the drug during competition, a lower sanction could be applied.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) stated the 31-year-old could appeal against the provisional suspension, but he has yet to do so.
“I recently failed a drug test in Mallorca after testing positive for cocaine,” Kyrgios wrote on Instagram. “I made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it.
“I’m sorry to my fans, my family, my sponsors and everyone close to me. Above all, I’m sorry to the kids who follow me. I know the example this sets and I’m deeply disappointed in myself.”
Kyrgios, who once reached No. 13, is now ranked 919th.
His best year came in 2022, when he won the Australian Open men’s doubles final with Thanasi Kokkinakis and made a men’s singles finals appearance at Wimbledon but lost to Novak Djokovic.
Since then, the Aussie’s career has been derailed by injuries, which he admitted were difficult to come to terms with.
“I’m not going to make excuses, but I do want to give some context about where I’ve been,” he continued. “The last couple of years of injuries have taken a huge toll on me, both physically and mentally. My body hasn’t been able to do what my mind expects it to do, and coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined.
“I’ve always said I didn’t choose tennis — tennis chose me. But letting go of something that has been my whole life is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to face. At times I’ve felt helpless and alone.
“None of that excuses what I did.”
After his Wimbledon final in 2022, Kyrgios won his seventh singles title by beating Yoshihito Nishioka at the DC Open. He later reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals, losing to Karen Khachanov.
He later suffered a knee injury in October 2022 and only played once over the next two years. He missed Wimbledon in 2023 due to a wrist injury.
His most high-profile match since then was a “Battle of the Sexes” win over Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai in December 2025.
This season, Kyrgios has a 1-3 men’s singles recrod and he received a wild card to play doubles at Wimbledon in July. Yet he lost in the first round with partner Alexander Bublik.
It was after the grass court slam on July 17 that it was confirmed Kyrgios tested positive.
“The good news is that this has given me a wake up call,” he said. “For the next 28 days, I’ll be stepping away from social media and public life while I focus on getting myself right. I’d ask that people respect my privacy during that time, and most importantly the privacy of my family.
“I’m sorry. I’ll do the work and come back better.”
