6 hours ago
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The severity of the ban facing Nick Kyrgios for testing positive for cocaine depends on whether he can prove he took the drug out of competition.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine at June's grass court event in Mallorca, and is currently serving a mandatory provisional suspension.
The ban could theoretically stretch to four years, but it will be a maximum of three months if the Australian can satisfy investigators he took the drug out of competition.
A player is deemed to be 'in competition' from the day the draws they are competing in begin until they leave the tournament after their final match.
Before the grass court season, former world number 13 Kyrgios had not played since January's Australian Open and so has recently spent very few days on site.
He is considered to have been 'in competition' in Stuttgart between 8-12 June, and again in Mallorca on 21 and 22 June.
It was on the 22 June - when he exited the tournament in the first round - that Kyrgios submitted the sample that was later found to contain benzoylecgonine.
If the 31-year-old can convince the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) he ingested the drug before he was 'in competition', there would be no need for an independent tribunal to be formed.
This would make the process far quicker, and if Kyrgios subsequently agreed to enter a treatment programme, the ban could be short as one month.
His provisional suspension began on 4 August, meaning he could even be eligible to compete again from 4 September.
