The wild child of tennis is facing a suspension after failing a drug test. Nick Kyrgios says the physical pain of his failing body and the quiet realization that his career is ending pushed him to make a terrible mistake.
Nick Kyrgios has always done things his own way. But this week, the tennis world woke up to news nobody wanted to hear. The 31-year-old Australian is suspended from the tour after testing positive for cocaine.
The sample was taken back in June at the Mallorca Open. Instead of fighting it, Kyrgios went straight to Instagram. He did not make excuses. He just owned it.
“I made a huge mistake and take full responsibility,” he wrote. He explained that years of brutal knee and wrist injuries had taken a massive toll.
“My body hasn’t been able to do what my mind expects it to do,” he said. “Coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined.”
He made it clear that the pain does not excuse the choice. “None of that excuses what I did,” he added.
The rules here are strict. Because he gave the sample during an actual tournament, he might not get the lighter punishment usually handed out for recreational drug use outside of competition.
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Kyrgios has spent his whole career breaking rackets and arguing with umpires. He has also been very open about his dark mental health struggles, even spending time in a psychiatric hospital a few years ago. Now, he is stepping away from the public eye for 28 days to get his head right.
Before logging off, he left a final message for the people who watched him grow up.
“I’m sorry to my fans, my family, my sponsors and everyone close to me,” he wrote. “Above all, I’m sorry to the kids who follow me. I know the example this sets, and I’m deeply disappointed in myself.”
The racquet is put away. Now he just has to face himself.
