Stefanos Tsitsipas reveals he had heard about Nick Kyrgios’ ‘behaviour’ away from court before tennis firebrand was handed cocaine ban: ‘I’m only surprised it came so late’
Stefanos Tsitsipas admitted that he was not shocked by Nick Kyrgios’ failed drugs test after the tennis firebrand was sanctioned for testing positive for cocaine, revealing that he was only surprised that it ‘came so late’.
Kyrgios attempted to get ahead of a public announcement that he had failed a test during a tournament in Mallorca in June, and called upon his followers to understand the ‘context’ for the lapse came against the backdrop of his struggle to come to terms with the end of his injury-stricken career.
But Tsitsipas had a less charitable view when asked about Kyrgios’ ban after his first-round victory against Arthur Fils at the US Open.
‘I don’t know what to tell you,’ the Greek No1 said with a smile as he was asked if he had been surprised when news broke earlier this month. ‘I mean, to be entirely honest with you, I knew about this before the announcement. Myself, I knew about it.
‘So what can I tell you? I will just tell you the truth. I knew about all of this before any announcement was made, and when I saw it on social media, I was, like, “Here we go.” I kind of expected it, to be honest.
When pushed further, Tsitsipas continued: ‘I knew that those were things that were happening away from the tennis courts. I will tell you that.
Stefanos Tsitsipas admitted that he had not been surprised by news that Nick Kyrgios had tested positive for cocaine
‘I’m not going to try and cover up someone that I know the truth for. I’ll consider myself a nice person with everyone, but these were behaviours that I personally heard on the tour and heard other people in that same environment saying those sort of things to me.
‘Again, when I saw it, I was, like, “Well, pretty much expected”, to be honest. I am surprised it came so late, though.’
Kyrgios’ representatives have been contacted by Daily Mail Sport for comment.
Tensions have long been high between the two players, with Tsitsipas clashing with Kyrgios at Wimbledon in 2022. Following their on-court tussle, the Greek referred to his Australian opponent as a ‘bully’ with an ‘evil side’.
In response, Kyrgios claimed that his rival had ‘serious issues.’
Kyrgios had been banned since August 4, sharing on social media that he took ‘full responsibility’ for the mistake 15 days later.
At that point, he had not registered an appeal, but when formally handed a ban, 31-year-old Kyrgios could face between three months and four years away from the sport.
A longer ban could be reduced should Kyrgios be able to prove that he did not use the substance for performance-enhancing purposes.
Kyrgios has battled persistent injury for recent years, and before his sanction, was some way from his career-high world No13 ranking.
Now ranked 919, Kyrgios had not won a singles match since the 2025 Miami Open.
Former British star Dan Evans, who retired this summer, was handed a one-year ban in 2017 after testing positive for cocaine at the Barcelona Open.
The drug had been found in the pocket of his washbag but the International Tennis Federation accepted his explanation that he had been contaminated after the drug found its way onto his finger or medication in the bag accidentally.
