Stefanos Tsitsipas indicated that Nick Kyrgios' recent suspension for a positive cocaine test did not come as a surprise, suggesting the player's drug use was an open secret within the professional tennis circuit.
"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," Tsitsipas told reporters following his first-round victory at the U.S. Open.
Kyrgios publicly announced his positive test for cocaine on August 19, describing it as "a huge mistake." Tsitsipas commented on the situation after defeating Arthur Fils in a four-set match. The Greek player stated that he had heard "those sorts of things" about Kyrgios' off-court activities from others within the tennis community.
"I will tell you that," Tsitsipas said. "I’m not going to try and cover up someone that I know the truth for. I will 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."
Tsitsipas added that he was "surprised it came so late, though," referring to the timing of the official announcement and suspension.
The positive test for cocaine occurred after Kyrgios provided a sample at an ATP 250 event in Mallorca, Spain, in late June. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory confirmed the positive test on July 17. A mandatory provisional suspension from tennis was subsequently put in place on August 4.
Kyrgios, in his social media post, addressed his situation, stating, "I’m not going to make excuses, but I do want to give some context about where I’ve been. The last couple of years of injuries have taken a huge toll on me, both physically and mentally. My body hasn’t been able to do what my mind expects it to do, and coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined."