Nick Kyrgios responds to the ‘ridiculousness’ surrounding Max Purcell’s 18-month suspension
Two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Max Purcell’s doping suspension will end on 11 June 2026.
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Max Purcell, Nick Kyrgios (images via Instagram)
Nick Kyrgios recently took a dig at compatriot Max Purcell on X over his suspension. Purcell accepted an 18-month ban for breaching anti-doping rules. The 27-year-old is a prominent doubles tennis player who won the 2022 Wimbledon doubles partnering with Matthew Ebden and the 2025 US Open doubles partnering with Jordan Thompson.
Purcell entered a voluntary provisional suspension in December 2024 after admitting to breaching Article 2.2 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program “relating to the use of a prohibited method”. He twice received IV infusions of more than 500 ml in December 2023 after falling sick in Bali, with the limit under the World Anti-Doping Code and TADP (Tennis Anti-Doping Programme) being 100 ml in a 12-hour period.
After an investigation by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), Purcell’s penalty was shortened by 25% because of his “full cooperation and information sharing”. The ITIA had accepted that the infusion over the 100 ml limit was not intentional and its contents were WADA-approved, providing no performance-enhancing benefit.
So honest feelings about how ridiculous Purcell’s ban is? Vitamins? Can we justify this? Or can we just admit now that the whole system is cooked.
Nick Kyrgios wrote on X
So honest feelings about how ridiculous Purcell’s ban is? Vitamins? Can we justify this? Or can we just admit now that the whole system is cooked 😂
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) April 30, 2025
With time served under the voluntary provisional suspension, Purcell’s suspension will end on 11 June 2026. He is not permitted to play, coach, or attend any tennis events until then. This suspension news comes amidst the ongoing three-month suspension that ATP singles World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is serving for having tested positive twice for clostebol last year. Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek was handed a one-month suspension last November for testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.
John Millman blasts ITIA for giving preferential treatment to Jannik Sinner after Max Purcell receives 18-month ban
ATP star John Millman, who is Max Purcell’s compatriot, recently blasted the ITIA for giving preferential treatment to Jannik Sinner while banning Purcell for 18 months. Millman wrote in an opinion piece that Purcell was banned for six times the length of Sinner’s suspension.
Tennis players can no longer have faith in the systems that are meant to protect them – that much is clear after Australian tennis player Max Purcell was given an 18-month ban for an over-the-limit intravenous infusion. Players want a fair sport, they want an equal sport, but when Jannik Sinner receives a three-month ban for having a prohibited substance in his system, and Max is banned for six times that length, it’s hard not to believe the system has failed its players.
John Millman wrote via The Sydney Morning Herald
Several players, including Aryna Sabalenka and Casper Ruud, have revealed their fear of doping. Tennis players are now very prudent of what they consume and use so as not to test positive for any banned substance. Millman believes that it’s a sign that players are beginning to lose faith in the system.
Jannik Sinner’s doping suspension ends this week
Jannik Sinner was initially exonerated by the ITIA. The Italian successfully appealed the case, which allowed him to continue playing before the ITIA cleared him of “no fault or negligence” for the failed doping tests.
However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) challenged this verdict and sought an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) for a one-year suspension to be handed to Sinner. The hearing was initially scheduled for April 16-17, however, in mid-February, the body announced a three-month suspension for the World No. 1, accepting Sinner’s explanation that the substance entered his body without his knowledge due to the use of a spray by his physiotherapist.
The World No.1 is now a few days away from the end of his three-month suspension. He is set to return to tour with the Rome Masters, which will commence on May 7. His return is much anticipated, and he will be the spotlight of attention in the coming week with Novak Djokovic having withdrawn from the tournament and Carlos Alcaraz injured, who is missing out on the Madrid Open and may most likely skip the Rome Masters too.
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