Nick Kyrgios of Australia meets fans following his match against Zhang Zhizhen of China during the 2026 Kooyong Classic at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club on Jan. 13, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia. Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has been provisionally suspended from professional tennis after testing positive for cocaine.

The former Wimbledon finalist, who got his first major win in more than two years at last year's Miami Open, has been provisionally suspended since Aug. 4, according to the International Tennis Integrity Agency, after a sample provided during a June tournament in Mallorca, Spain, tested positive last month for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Kyrgios said he had "made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it."

Once ranked world number 13, Kyrgios has slipped to 919 after a series of injuries. The 31-year-old has only played four singles matches this season. He got a wild card to play in the doubles competition at Wimbledon in July, but lost in the first round with his partner Alexander Bublik.

Kyrgios will not be able to play in or coach at any events organized or sanctioned by any of tennis's global bodies or national associations until the suspension is lifted. He has the right to appeal his provisional suspension, the ITIA said, "but has not done so to date."

On Instagram, Kyrgios apologized "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."

"I'm not going to make excuses, but I do want to give some context about where I've been," he added. "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."

"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," he said. "None of that excuses what I did."

Kyrgios said he would be stepping away from social media and public life for a month, "while I focus on getting myself right."

"I would never … dope in this sport"
Kyrgios is well-known for on-court antics, including shouting obscenities, arguing with umpires and obliterating rackets, making him a controversial figure in tennis.

In 2015, he made a derogatory comment to his opponent about another player sleeping with his girlfriend.

In 2023, he admitted to assaulting his ex-partner by pushing her over on a sidewalk two years earlier, an incident for which he avoided criminal conviction.

A year later he apologized for sharing a post by misogynist influencer and accused rapist and sex trafficker Andrew Tate.

Kyrgios has previously criticized high-profile doping cases involving top players Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek.

"I just think that it's been handled horrifically in our sport," Kyrgios said in 2024. "Two world number ones both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport."

"It's a horrible look," he added in remarks reported by ESPN. "Someone like me ... I would never even in my entire life ever try and dope in this sport."

Several years ago Kyrgios complained to an official during his U.S. Open match in New York that he was bothered by what he thought was the smell of marijuana wafting onto the court.

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