Add The New York Post on Google Stefanos Tsitsipas wasn’t at all surprised to hear that Nick Kyrgios was suspended earlier this month after testing positive for cocaine, and when the topic came up following Tsitsipas’ first-round win in Flushing Meadows, he had no interest in covering for Kyrgios.
“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 said.
Tsitsipas and Kyrgios have had a long-running feud dating back to Wimbledon in 2022 and Tsitsipas’ blunt response to a question about the suspension seemed to highlight the bad blood between them.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, of Greece, returns the ball to Arthur Fils, of France, during the first round of the U.S. Open. AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth Kyrgios announced on Aug. 19 that he tested positive for cocaine in a post on social media and described it as “a huge mistake.”
“I knew that those were things that were happening away from the tennis courts. I will tell you that,” Tsitsipas said. “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 behaviors that I personally heard on the tour and heard other people in that same environment saying those sort of things to me.
“When I saw [the suspension], I was, like, well, pretty much expected, to be honest. I am surprised it came so late, though.”
Tsitsipas spoke with reporters after he defeated Arthur Fils in a thrilling four-set showdown 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the second round of the U.S. Open. The Greek will face Lloyd Harris, who knocked out Long Islander Jack Kennedy on Sunday, in the second round.
Nick Kyrgios of Australia runs for the ball during a Gentlemen’s Doubles first round match at Wimbledon. Getty Images Kyrgios’ positive drug test occurred after he provided a sample at an ATP 250 event in Mallorca, Spain, in late June and the positive test was confirmed on July 17 at a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory.
A positive test for cocaine comes with a mandatory provisional suspension from tennis, which was put in place on Aug. 4.
“I’m not going to make excuses, but I do want to give some context about where I’ve been,” Kyrgios wrote on Instagram last month when he revealed his suspension. “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.”
