NEW YORK (AP) — Stefanos Tsitsipas was not surprised that Nick Kyrgios was suspended from tennis for drugs.“Pretty much expected, to be honest,” Tsitsipas said. “I am surprised it came so late, though.”Kyrgios was banned earlier this month after he revealed he tested positive for cocaine in June when he was in Spain to play at an event. The Australian could be suspended for four years, though a lighter punishment is expected.Tsitsipas was asked about Kyrgios on Monday after upsetting No. 10-seeded Arthur Fils in the first round of the U.S. Open.“I mean, to be entirely honest with you, I knew about this before the announcement. Myself, I knew about it,” Tsitsipas said. “So what can I tell you? I will just tell you the truth. 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 and Kyrgios played a fiery match at Wimbledon in 2022, when Kyrgios reached his only Grand Slam final. Tsitsipas blasted a couple shots directly at Kyrgios, intentionally hit a ball into the crowd, and afterward called Kyrgios a “bully.”Kyrgios has largely battled injuries since and said when he was suspended that he had felt “helpless and alone,” though added that “none of that excuses what I did.”
