New York (AFP) - Greek tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas said on Monday he was not surprised when his old rival Nick Kyrgios tested positive for cocaine and was suspended.

First modification: 09/01/2026 - 05:11

"It was something I kind of expected, to be honest," Tsitsipas said after his unexpected victory in his debut at the US Open against Frenchman Arthur Fils.

Australian Kyrgios was provisionally suspended this month after testing positive for cocaine, in another episode of a controversial career marked by his outbursts, injuries and mental health problems.

The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up admitted having made "a huge mistake", apologized and claimed that the injuries had caused him "a huge impact" both "physically and mentally".

Kyrgios, 31, has barely participated in individual tournaments in recent seasons.

Tsitsipas was briefly paired in doubles with the Australian but the two have since had a tense relationship.

"I'm not going to try to cover up someone about whom I know the truth," said the Greek when asked about Kyrgios' positive test at his press conference in New York.

"I consider myself a good person with everyone, but these were behaviors that I heard personally on the circuit. I heard other people in that same environment tell me those kinds of things," he said.

"When I saw it, it was like: well, it's more or less expected, to be honest. I'm surprised it came so late, though," he said.

According to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), Kyrgios' suspension has been in effect since August 4 and the player has not appealed the decision, for which he took "full responsibility" in an Instagram post.

© 2026 AFP

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