Two months ago in the first round of the Mallorca Open, an out-of-sorts Nick Kyrgios lost to his Australian compatriot, Adam Walton, who had long admired him. He said it was a right knee issue. Little did many know at the time that it wasn’t the only reason hampering him. 

Ahead of the match, the former Wimbledon finalist was tested by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) under its anti-doping process. And before his results even came back positive, he had already confessed that he did, in fact, use c—— on a night out before entering the first round, where he lost in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. The Aussie apologized for his actions and forfeited €6,570 in prize money and ranking points from the event. But now that the news of his further punishment broke out, he seems to have lost a lot more: the respect of his fans – all for one reason that he himself created.

Today, the ITIA shared Kyrgios’ report on X, where they mentioned that he had served a one-month suspension as a result of that positive test. As it turned out, the Aussie had found a loophole in the system.

According to the report, Kyrgios was able to show that he took the substance before the official competition window ahead of his June 22 match against Adam Walton in Mallorca.

Under WADA rules, that window generally begins at 11:59 p.m. the day before a player is due to compete, and an independent WADA-accredited expert found the test levels consistent with his explanation. The ITIA therefore accepted that the use happened out of competition, allowing his potential three-month sanction to be reduced to one month after he entered an approved treatment program.

“As such, the player’s suspension will end on September 3, 2026, subject to completion of the programme. Prize-money and ranking points from the Mallorca event will be forfeited,” the ITIA confirmed in an official statement.

But here’s where it gets tricky because the rules are not that simple…

What ITIA’s anti-doping rules state and how Kyrgios used it

ITIA Article 2.1.1 establishes, “Players are responsible for any Prohibited Substance or any of its Metabolites or Markers found to be present in their Samples. The Player’s lack of intent, Fault, Negligence or knowledge a defence to an assertion that an Article 2.1 Anti-Doping Rule Violation has been committed.”

What puts Kyrgios’ decision into the spotlight, though, is the ITIA’s another rule:

ITIA Article 2.2.4 further clarifies: “Out-of-Competition Use of a Prohibited Substance that is only prohibited In-Competition is not an Article 2.2 Anti-Doping Rule Violation. However, if that substance (or any of its Metabolites or Markers) is still present in a Sample collected In-Competition, that is an Article 2.1 Anti-Doping Rule Violation.”

On June 20, Kyrgios told ITIA investigators that he had used the substance socially during a night out in Magaluf, Mallorca. The timing was crucial, as the use came less than 24 hours before he would officially have been considered “in competition.” Two days later, on June 22, he faced Walton.

During the tournament, Kyrgios gave an anti-doping sample. That sample was later found to contain a metabolite of the banned substance, which triggered the case against him.

On August 4, Kyrgios was provisionally suspended while the anti-doping process moved forward.

“I wanted you to hear this from me first. I recently failed a drug test in Mallorca after testing positive for co****e. I made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it. I’m sorry to my fans, my family, my sponsors and everyone close to me. Above all, I’m sorry to the kids who follow me,” he said in a statement.

The Grand Slam champion concluded his message vowing “to do the work and come back better.”

His suspension ended on September 3, clearing him to return immediately. Now Kyrgios is not the first tennis player to face an anti-doping charge. But there is a reason of his own making that puts him in bad light.

Kyrgios has always opposed tennis players who used substances

Dan Evans tested positive after saying he had taken the drug out of competition, while Martina Hingis received a two-year suspension for a similar case in 2007. Richard Gasquet was also sanctioned in 2009 before his ban was later lifted after a tribunal accepted his explanation of inadvertent exposure. But Kyrgios’ case is different because of the stance he has historically taken on such topics.

Last year, Kyrgios was among the loudest critics of the three-month suspension handed to Jannik Sinner, arguing that the punishment failed to match the seriousness of the allegations.

“So WADA come out and say it would be a 1-2 year ban. Obviously Sinner’s team have done everything in their power to just go ahead and take a 3 month ban, no titles lost, no prize money lost,” Kyrgios wrote after WADA announced its agreement with the Italian. “Guilty or not? Sad day for tennis. Fairness in tennis does not exist.”

At the time, Kyrgios spent much of the year questioning how doping cases were handled in tennis. But now that he is serving the same length of suspension as Iga Swiatek, his fans are understandably frustrated.

Fans Outraged Over ITIA Decision on Nick Kyrgios

Fans had their opinions on the ITIA decision, most of which were critical of the Australian and the short duration of the suspension.

“WTF. ANY tournament that actually lets this douchebag play for them should be blacklisted. Not b/c he has a problem, but because he constantly ridiculed or called out other players going through doping trials/sentencing, etc. He needs to go away. Tennis is better off w/o him,” said one fan.

Another fan compared the Australian’s case with that of Marketa Vondrousova, with the Czech player currently serving a four-year ban for refusing to take a drug test.

“Intention doping violation = 1 month. Refusal of tests most likely due to insufficient knowledge of testing procedures = 4 years. Good job, ITIA,” said the fan.

Pointing out the unfairness of the decision that favored Kyrgios and how his case was being handled, another fan said:

“Message to the rest of the tour – take a couple of months off each year so you can party during ‘out-of-competition’ times, accept a quick one-month suspension, then straight back in it playing matches again.”

There was no shortage of sarcastic jibes at the Australian, with one fan saying, “I’m sure he has totally logical explanations for why he doesn’t deserve the 2 years that everyone else deserves.”

Another fan compared the sanctions with those of Dan Evans and Martina Hingis. Both Evans and Hingis failed drug tests for the same drug, like Kyrgios, but were handed one- and two-year bans, even with Evans being able to prove out-of-competition use.

Notably, Kyrgios has barely featured on tour in recent years. His most recent appearance came as a wildcard entry in the men’s doubles at Wimbledon this July, where he partnered with Alexander Bublik, only for the pair to exit in the first round.

Kyrgios has also previously hinted at retirement, making his future in tennis an open question before the latest controversy. And when news of his substance abuse emerged last month, the Australian appeared contrite, issuing an apology to his fans and acknowledging the seriousness of the situation.