Kyrgios cleared to return after accepting one-month cocaine ban

Nick Kyrgios can return to competitive tennis after accepting a one-month ban for cocaine use and agreeing to enter a treatment program. The Australian had faced a suspension ranging from three months to four years after failing a drug test at an ATP 250 tournament in Spain on June 22.

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I made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it.

Kyrgios had been provisionally suspended since August 4. During an interview with investigators from the International Tennis Integrity Agency, he said he had used cocaine socially during a night out, several days before he was due to play in Mallorca. The ITIA consulted an independent scientific expert at a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory, who said the explanation matched the level of cocaine found in his sample.

The ITIA therefore accepted that the cocaine use occurred outside competition. Under WADA rules, the standard suspension for this type of violation is three months, but it can fall to one month when a player commits to an ITIA-approved treatment program. Kyrgios also forfeited the 6,570 euros he won after losing in the first round in Mallorca to fellow Australian Adam Walton.

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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, a 2022 Wimbledon finalist whose ranking once reached No. 13, chose not to appeal his provisional suspension. He apologized to fans, family, sponsors and the children who follow him, writing, "I made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it." He also said years of knee and wrist injuries had taken a heavy physical and mental toll as he confronted the possible end of his singles career. "None of that excuses what I did," he wrote, calling the ban a wake-up call.

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None of that excuses what I did.