Tsitsipas Says Kyrgios' Cocaine Suspension Was 'Pretty Much Expected'

Tsitsipas Says Kyrgios' Cocaine Suspension Was 'Pretty Much Expected'

Stefanos Tsitsipas said he was not surprised that Nick Kyrgios was suspended from tennis for drugs, stating that he had expected the news and even knew about it before the official announcement. The Greek player made the comments after advancing to the second round of the US Open in New York with a win over 10th-seeded Arthur Fils.

"Pretty much expected, to be honest," Tsitsipas said, as reported by the Associated Press and other outlets. "I am surprised it came so late, though."

Kyrgios was banned earlier this month after he revealed he tested positive for cocaine in June while in Spain to play at an event. The Australian could be suspended for four years, though a lighter punishment is expected.

Tsitsipas said he knew about the positive test before the announcement. "I mean, to be entirely honest with you, I knew about this before the announcement. Myself, I knew about it," he said, according to quotes carried by multiple outlets. "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."

The two players have a contentious history, most notably from a fiery match at Wimbledon in 2022, when Kyrgios reached his only Grand Slam final. In that match, Tsitsipas blasted a couple of shots directly at Kyrgios, intentionally hit a ball into the crowd, and afterward called Kyrgios a "bully." Tsitsipas was fined US$10,000 for hitting a ball into the crowd and admitted he deliberately aimed at Kyrgios during the match, as reported by The Canberra Times.

Kyrgios has largely battled injuries since that season and said when he was suspended that he had felt "helpless and alone," though he added that "none of that excuses what I did," according to reports from the Associated Press and ESPN.

Tsitsipas said he was not shocked by the news, explaining that he had heard things away from the courts. "I knew that those were things that were happening away from the tennis courts. I will tell you that," he said, as quoted by ESPN and SFGATE. "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 behaviors that I personally heard on the tour and heard other people in that same environment saying those sort of things to me."

Kyrgios, who brushed off Tsitsipas's earlier claims as "soft," is virtually retired, having admitted he had likely played his last competitive singles match following multiple wrist and knee surgeries since his career-best season in 2022, according to PerthNow.