US Open 2016: Nick Kyrgios says it’s OK to smoke weed on tour before beating Aljaz Bedene in first round
Australian also admitted he would quit the sport if he won the major
NICK KYRGIOS showed he’s no dope on court by beating British No 3 Aljaz Bedene in straight sets.
Kyrgios had warmed up for his first-round match with an ill-advised Q&A on Twitter in which he claimed that he would quit tennis if he won the US Open – and that it was permitted for professional tennis players to smoke marijuana.
The Australian was asked "are you allowed to smoke weed on tour?"
He offered up a simple "yep".
That much is true, but only out of competition.
A WADA spokesman confirmed that while marijuana "is a prohibited substance for in-competition testing, it has never been prohibited out-of-competition."
There was nothing laid-back about Kyrgios’ performance, though.
The Australian went through most of his repertoire of jaw-dropping shots and exhibition stuff in a 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory which took just under two hours.
Bedene did his best to live with Kyrgios. The pair may have the same agent, but the Slovenia-born Brit is not in the same league when it comes to power and hand skills.
The question is whether Kyrgios can keep a lid on the less impressive aspects of his tennis and personality long enough to make a big impression in the Big Apple.