Stefanos Tsitsipas said he was not surprised by reports that Nick Kyrgios had been suspended from tennis after testing positive for cocaine following a tournament in Mallorca. Kyrgios could face a suspension of up to four years.
Tsitsipas discussed the Kyrgios case after defeating Artur Fils in the first round of the US Open.
“To be honest, it was something to be expected… Although I’m surprised it took so long to become known,”
the Greek player said of the controversial Australian.
“To be completely honest, I was already aware of this before the announcement. I knew it myself”.
Tsitsipas added:
“What can I tell you? I’ll simply tell you the truth. I knew all of this before any announcement was made and, when I saw it on social media, I thought: “Here we go.” To be honest, I was expecting it,”
Tsitsipas, who called Kyrgios a “bully” after their intense and controversial Wimbledon match in 2022, said he had previously heard about behavior involving the Australian away from the tennis courts.
“I knew those were things that happened off the tennis courts. I can assure you of that.”
He continued:
“I’m not going to try to cover for someone when I know the truth. I consider myself a kind person to everyone, but these were behaviors I became personally aware of on the tour; I heard other people from that same environment tell me similar things,”
Tsitsipas said.
Nick Kyrgios admits cocaine violation after Mallorca test
Kyrgios recently acknowledged that he had tested positive for cocaine in an anti-doping control in Mallorca. The 33-year-old said the past two years of injuries had affected him physically and mentally.
“Recently I tested positive for cocaine in an anti-doping control in Mallorca. I made a serious mistake and I take full responsibility for it. I am not going to make excuses, but I want to provide context for the situation I was in. The last two years, marked by injuries, have taken an enormous toll, both physically and mentally. My body was not able to respond to what my mind demanded of it, and accepting that I am approaching the end of my career has been more difficult than I ever imagined,”
Kyrgios wrote on Instagram.
Nick Kyrgios speaks about mental health struggles
In a 2022 interview with Australian broadcaster Nine, Kyrgios discussed his long-standing mental health problems, alcohol and drug use, and self-harm.
“Balance is something I find hard to deal with. I have always been like that since I was a child. Matches were always a roller coaster.”
“I even ended up cutting and burning myself in some pretty fucked-up shit”
He also said:
““I really try hard. Sometimes it’s a struggle for me. Some days I wake up and come to the courts or I wake up and just don’t want to leave my room. I deal with normal human issues, but I’m also proud of myself. I go out, keep my head down, and play well. It’s not easy to do it week after week”… I’m two very different people on and off the court,”
Kyrgios described his mental health problems in 2019 as severe.
“They were very serious… to the point that I ended up self-harming my arm… and that is not okay”.
He explained:
“I guess I pushed away everyone who cared about me and I wasn’t communicating. I just shut out real life and was trying to handle and confront my problems head-on”
Kyrgios said the emotional pain led him to:
“cut and burn myself in some pretty fucked-up shit.”
He added:
“I felt like I was disappointing people all the time. I felt worthless and hated my life at one point,”
“I guess I pushed away everyone who cared about me and I wasn’t communicating. I just shut out real life and was trying to manage and tackle my problems head-on. I was abusing alcohol and drugs a lot, and that got out of control,”
Kyrgios recalls suicidal thoughts in 2019
In February 2020, Kyrgios spoke publicly about the crisis he had experienced the previous year.
“I had suicidal thoughts and was, literally, struggling to get out of bed and play in front of millions of people. I was alone, depressed, negative, abusing alcohol and drugs that drove me away from family and friends. I couldn’t talk to anyone or trust anyone.”
Kyrgios said he overcame the crisis with support from his family and by changing his daily routine.
“adopting healthier habits such as diet, sleeping well, trying to train a little more”
He added:
“Now I hardly drink, I literally have a glass of wine with dinner,”
The Australian also described the pressure of being viewed primarily as a tennis personality rather than as a person.
“really didn’t care who I was as a human being, only just a tennis player… the crazy tennis player,”
He said the experience had been:
“exhausting”
and acknowledged that he had felt:
“used.”
Kyrgios described his relationship with tennis as complicated:
“I love the sport; I’m a great student of the game and sometimes I enjoy watching tennis. But I like it only up to a point. It’s my life and I’ve devoted hours and hours to it that I’m never going to get back”.
Kyrgios cited mental health issues in abuse case
In 2022, Kyrgios’ legal representatives told an Australian court that the tennis player had mental health problems while seeking to have an abuse charge dismissed.
The EFE agency reported that Kyrgios faced one count of common assault for allegedly abusing his former girlfriend, Chiara Passari, in December 2021.
The pair reportedly had a heated argument over Kyrgios’ alleged infidelity, and police intervened to calm the situation.
