Stefanos Tsitsipas said he was not surprised that Nick Kyrgios was suspended from tennis for drugs. The Greek tennis player described the situation as "pretty much expected," but admitted he was surprised it came so late.
Kyrgios was banned earlier this month after he revealed he tested positive for cocaine in June while in Spain to play at an event. He could be suspended for four years, though a lighter punishment is expected.
Tsitsipas spoke about this after defeating Arthur Fils in the first round of the U.S. Open. "To be entirely honest with you, I knew about this before the announcement. When I saw it on social media, I was, like, 'Here we go.' I kind of expected it, to be honest," he said.
The rivalry between Tsitsipas and Kyrgios dates back to their fiery match at Wimbledon in 2022, when Kyrgios reached his only Grand Slam final. Tsitsipas blasted shots at Kyrgios, intentionally hit a ball into the crowd, and later called him a "bully."
Kyrgios has largely battled injuries since. When he was suspended, he said he felt "helpless and alone," but added that "none of that excuses what I did."
Tsitsipas said the situation was not a shock to him. "I knew that those were things that were happening away from the tennis courts. 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," he said.