Why positive cocaine test could mean end of Kyrgios' career

Nick Kyrgios erstwhile said determination was "zero chance" helium would beryllium playing tennis into his thirties.

But it was astatine the property of 31, portion attempting different comeback from superior genu and wrist injuries, that helium tested affirmative for a metabolite of cocaine astatine June's Mallorca Open.

In a station connected societal media, Kyrgios said it was a "huge mistake" for which helium takes afloat responsibility.

But helium added that caller injuries - helium has lone played 8 tournaments and won 2 matches since the commencement of 2023 - person taken a immense toll connected him.

"Coming to presumption with being adjacent the extremity of my vocation has been harder than I ever imagined," helium added.

The extremity could present beryllium accelerated by the result of the probe into his affirmative test.

Kyrgios faces a prohibition of up to 4 years erstwhile an autarkic tribunal is convened to perceive his case, and volition not beryllium capable to play successful the intervening play due to the fact that of a mandatory provisional suspension.

The Australian has achieved much than astir connected the sporting stage. As a 19-year-old successful 2014 helium stunned past satellite fig 1 Rafael Nadal connected his Centre Court debut, and finished runner-up astatine Wimbledon 8 years later.

At his best, Kyrgios is simply a flamboyant and diversion shot-maker with flair, interaction and an explosive game.

But helium tin besides beryllium destructive and verbally abusive, and has regularly struggled to prolong the levels of professionalism and abstinence needed for a prolonged enactment astatine the precise top.

In 2015, Kyrgios was fixed a suspended 28-day prohibition for making lewd remarks astir Stan Wawrinka's woman during a lucifer successful Montreal.

A twelvemonth later, helium was banned for 8 weeks for his behaviour - including a "lack of champion effort" - astatine the Shanghai Masters. This was reduced to 3 weeks aft helium agreed to consult a sports psychologist.

2019 was the nadir. Kyrgios was defaulted from a lucifer astatine the Italian Open for hurling a seat onto the court, and was aboriginal fined $113,000 for verbally abusing umpire Fergus Murphy successful Cincinnati.

The ATP aboriginal issued a suspended 16-week prohibition for a "pattern of behaviour related to his verbal maltreatment of officials and/or spectators" implicit the erstwhile 12 months.

Kyrgios described 2019 arsenic the "lowest constituent of my career" erstwhile interviewed for Netflix's Break Point documentary series.

"I was drinking, abusing drugs. I mislaid my narration with my family, pushed each my adjacent friends away," helium said.

"Being bullied astatine a young property for being abbreviated and abdominous and brownish scarred maine for sure."

Kyrgios said helium wore a compression sleeve to screen up self-harming scars connected his limb and spent clip successful a psychiatric hospital successful London to effort and "figure retired my problems".

He separately spoke astir being forced retired of a pub successful Wimbledon Village by his cause successful the aboriginal hours of a lucifer day, and told Louis Theroux successful 2024 that helium would sometimes person "20 to 30 drinks" earlier playing the adjacent day.

He has confessed to playing excessively overmuch hoops - including for an hr earlier helium bushed David Ferrer successful the 2017 Cincinnati Masters semi-finals - and has often said helium has been incapable to "dedicate" his beingness to tennis.

"I conscionable bask doing immoderate I'm doing," helium said.

"I don't devour well. I don't bid conscionable for tennis, I bid conscionable for a wide blessed surviving - I cognize it sounds ridiculous, but I play a spot of tennis connected the side."

In 2023, Kyrgios admitted assaulting ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari by pushing her connected the pavement during a enactment successful Canberra. The magistrate called the incidental "a azygous enactment of stupidity oregon frustration" erstwhile sparing him a transgression record.

Then 2 years agone helium publically distanced himself from arguable influencer Andrew Tate, who is currently warring extradition to the UK connected charges including rape and offences related to enactment trafficking.

Kyrgios told the BBC helium had "deleted posts, unfollowed him and gone to each lengths to distance" himself from Tate.

The existent satellite fig 919 volition present measurement distant from nationalist beingness for the adjacent 28 days to "do the enactment and travel backmost better."

The ineligible process volition instrumentality galore months - and Kyrgios is nary instrumentality of tennis' anti-doping system.

Describing the strategy arsenic "awful," helium made repeatedly wide his sentiment that some Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek received overly lenient bans aft their caller high-profile doping cases.

"Sad time for tennis. Fairness successful tennis does not exist," Kyrgios wrote aft Sinner accepted a three-month prohibition for investigating affirmative for clostebol.

But if helium does determine helium wants to proceed his vocation into his thirties, overmuch volition remainder connected the process of which Kyrgios has been truthful critical.

If you, oregon idiosyncratic you know, person been affected by immoderate issues raised successful this article, enactment and accusation is disposable astatine BBC Action Line. You tin besides interaction the Samaritans connected a escaped helpline astatine 116 123, oregon visit the website., external