Nick Kyrgios now risks a suspension that could last up to four years, a consequence Stefanos Tsitsipas said he "pretty much expected."
Kyrgios returned an adverse test for cocaine in June while competing at an ATP 250 event in Mallorca. In August the Australian posted on Instagram that he had "made a huge mistake" and would be provisionally banned from the sport. Formal sanctions could reach four years, though a lighter penalty is anticipated.
Tsitsipas spoke about Kyrgios on the eve of the US Open after eliminating the No 10 seed Arthur Fils in the first round. He told reporters he already knew about the matter before officials made it public, saying, "I knew about this before the announcement." He added he was surprised the news took so long to appear on social channels.
The exchange between the two players carries the weight of past clashes. They met in a heated third-round match at Wimbledon in 2022, a tournament where Kyrgios went on to reach his only grand slam final. After that match Tsitsipas accused Kyrgios of bullying and on-court incident reports included shots struck toward his opponent and a ball sent into the crowd.
Kyrgios has cited a run of injuries and their effect on his mental state since then. In his Instagram post announcing the provisional ban he wrote that he had felt "helpless and alone," and that "the last couple of years of injuries have taken a huge toll on me, both physically and mentally."
Tsitsipas said he had heard about off-court behaviour related to Kyrgios while on tour and declined to shield someone he believed he knew the truth about. The case now proceeds through tennis's disciplinary process, with the final sanction still to be decided and observers expecting something less than the maximum four-year term.
