Tsitsipas says Kyrgios' cocaine suspension was expected amid ongoing feud

Stefanos Tsitsipas, fresh from a four-set victory over Arthur Fils at the U.S. Open, was queried on Nick Kyrgios' recent drug suspension. He explained that he had already been aware of Kyrgios' off-court issues and, upon seeing the news on social media, thought the suspension was inevitable. Tsitsipas emphasized he would not attempt to cover for Kyrgios, recalling comments from other tour members about similar behavior.

Kyrgios announced on Instagram that a cocaine test taken in late June at an ATP 250 tournament in Mallorca returned a positive result, which was confirmed on July 17 by a World Anti-Doping Agency accredited laboratory, leading to a mandatory provisional suspension on August 4. In his statement, Kyrgios described the incident as a "huge mistake" and linked it to the physical and mental toll of recent injuries. Tsitsipas will next face Lloyd Harris in the second round, while Kyrgios remains sidelined pending further action.