Kyrgios rival sledges Aussie over failed drug test

One of Nick Kyrgios’s on court rivals has taken aim at the Australian following the news he was facing a four-year ban for failing a drugs test.

Last month Kyrgios went public with news he had tested positive for cocaine while playing at a tournament in Spain and expressed deep regret that he had to share such an update.

While rules stipulate that the Australian, who has barely played a professional match since 2022 due to ongoing injuries, could be banned for up to four years, a lighter sanction is expected.

For Stefanos Tsitsipas however, the only surprise in Kyrgios failing a doping test is that it took this long.

"I mean, to be entirely honest with you, I knew about this before the announcement. Myself, I knew about it," Tsitsipas said after is first round win over Arthur Fils at the US Open.

"Pretty much expected, to be honest. I am surprised it came so late, though.

"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.

"I knew that those were things that were happening away from the tennis courts. I will tell you that.

"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 behaviours that I personally heard on the tour and heard other people in that same environment saying those sort of things to me."

Kyrgios took to his own social media in August to share the update, telling fans: “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.”

The length of ban he faces is yet to be confirmed.