Nick Kyrgios' outspoken criticism of fellow tennis stars over their doping cases has resurfaced following his own positive test for cocaine.
The Australian has been provisionally suspended after returning a positive sample at the Mallorca Open in June and has since admitted making a "huge mistake".
Kyrgios has apologised to his family, fans and sponsors and accepted responsibility for his actions, while announcing he will spend 28 days away from social media and public life.
But the controversy has also placed renewed scrutiny on comments he previously made about other players caught up in anti-doping cases.
Kyrgios was a particularly vocal critic when Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek were involved in separate cases in 2024.
And remarks he made about former world No 1 Simona Halep have now also come back into focus.
Halep tested positive for the banned substance roxadustat following the 2022 US Open and was initially handed a four-year suspension.
The Romanian always maintained she had not intentionally taken a prohibited substance.
Her punishment was eventually reduced to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which accepted that the positive test had resulted from a contaminated supplement.
Kyrgios was far from sympathetic during the saga.
The former Wimbledon finalist accused Halep of taking "shady s**t" and suggested his own Grand Slam record might have been significantly different had he used similar substances.
"If I took that stuff I'd have five Slams," he said at the time.
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Those comments have now resurfaced after Kyrgios found himself at the centre of his own drugs controversy.
And Halep has added further intrigue by publishing a pointed message on social media following news of the Australian's positive test.
She did not mention Kyrgios by name, meaning it cannot be said with certainty that her comments were directed towards him.
However, the timing of the post quickly attracted attention.
"Never kick someone when they're down," Halep wrote.
"Life has a strange way of changing positions. And an even stranger way of revealing the difference between an accident and a choice."
Kyrgios has acknowledged responsibility for his positive cocaine test and expressed regret over his actions.
"I made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it," he said when announcing the news.
The 31-year-old also offered context surrounding a difficult period in his life, explaining that persistent injuries and confronting the potential end of his career had affected him physically and mentally.
However, Kyrgios stressed that his struggles did not excuse his actions.
His provisional suspension prevents him from playing, coaching or attending sanctioned professional tennis events.
Kyrgios has the right to appeal the suspension but has not done so at this stage.
Halep, meanwhile, retired in 2025 having won 24 WTA singles titles, including the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon the following year.
Kyrgios has seven ATP singles titles and reached the Wimbledon final in 2022, the same year he won the Australian Open men's doubles title.
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