Nick Kyrgios has revealed that he tested positive for cocaine, describing the incident on Wednesday as a significant “wake up call” and expressing feelings of being “helpless and alone.”

The outspoken former Wimbledon finalist shared the news on his Instagram Story. He has been under provisional suspension since August 4th following a failed drug test on June 22nd, which occurred during a grass court tournament in Mallorca, Spain.

Facing a potential ban from tennis that could extend from three months to four years, Kyrgios’s fate hinges on whether the cocaine use was during competition. A lesser penalty may be considered if it was not.

According to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), the 31-year-old has the option to appeal his provisional suspension. However, he has yet to take any formal action.

“I recently failed a drug test in Mallorca after testing positive for cocaine,” Kyrgios admitted on Instagram. “I made a huge mistake, and I take full responsibility for it.”

“I’m sorry to my fans, my family, my sponsors and everyone close to me. Above all, I’m sorry to the kids who follow me. I know the example this sets and I’m deeply disappointed in myself.”

Kyrgios, who once reached No. 13, is now ranked 919th.

His best year came in 2022, when he won the Australian Open men’s doubles final with Thanasi Kokkinakis and made a men’s singles finals appearance at Wimbledon but lost to Novak Djokovic.

Since then, the Aussie’s career has been derailed by injuries, which he admitted were difficult to come to terms with.

“I’m not going to make excuses, but I do want to give some context about where I’ve been,” he continued. “The last couple of years of injuries have taken a huge toll on me, both physically and mentally. My body hasn’t been able to do what my mind expects it to do, and coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined.

“I’ve always said I didn’t choose tennis — tennis chose me. But letting go of something that has been my whole life is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to face. At times I’ve felt helpless and alone.

“None of that excuses what I did.”

After his Wimbledon final in 2022, Kyrgios won his seventh singles title by beating Yoshihito Nishioka at the DC Open. He later reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals, losing to Karen Khachanov.

He later suffered a knee injury in October 2022 and only played once over the next two years. He missed Wimbledon in 2023 due to a wrist injury.

His most high-profile match since then was a “Battle of the Sexes” win over Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai in December 2025.

This season, Kyrgios has a 1-3 men’s singles recrod and he received a wild card to play doubles at Wimbledon in July. Yet he lost in the first round with partner Alexander Bublik.

It was after the grass court slam on July 17 that it was confirmed Kyrgios tested positive.

“The good news is that this has given me a wake up call,” he said. “For the next 28 days, I’ll be stepping away from social media and public life while I focus on getting myself right. I’d ask that people respect my privacy during that time, and most importantly the privacy of my family.

“I’m sorry. I’ll do the work and come back better.”

Intimate letters penned by Donald Trump’s personal secretary have come back into the spotlight, revealing her admission of starving herself during her tenure with him. These letters have resurfaced as public interest in their professional relationship grows.

Natalie Harp, 35, has served as one of Trump’s closest aides for years, earning the nickname ‘human printer’ for her habit of carrying collections of news articles for him. However, her deep commitment to Trump has drawn concern from his senior advisers and the Secret Service.

Notably, during a golf trip Trump took to Scotland in May 2023, Harp was seen running behind his golf cart due to a lack of available vehicles. She later penned an apology to Trump, expressing regret over any embarrassment her actions may have caused him.

In her letter, which initially appeared in the Daily Mail and has recently been revisited by the New York Times, Harp wrote, ‘I also am sorry if I was an embarrassment walking the course in Scotland.’ The resurfacing of this correspondence has reignited curiosity about their dynamic.

Further on, Harp candidly confessed that under her dedication, she neglected basic needs: ‘I want things to always be right between us. I also know I’ve been distracted all week (forgetting to eat throughout the days, and even forgetting to sleep, and only catching a couple hours at a time).’ Such admissions have added a layer of intrigue to her role in the former president’s inner circle.

Her letter concludes: ‘With all my heart, Natalie.’

Harp’s determination to remain by Trump’s side was also on display in October 2023, when she rode in the trunk of an SUV after being told there was no room for her in the motorcade taking him to a New York court appearance. 

After staffers told her there was no room in the vehicle, Harp became livid and began screaming at them, insisting that Trump had personally asked her to accompany him, according to CNN. 

The incident was one example of how Harp had ‘irked’ those closest to the president.

One advisor said that Trump ‘likes the attention and the fact that she is 100 percent committed and loyal.’

‘She doesn’t question, doesn’t second guess,’ the source said.

Harp spent the summer in 2023 sleeping in the women’s locker room at Trump’s Bedminster golf club so she could remain close to him, according to journalist Michael Wolff.

She had initially secured a maid’s room but moved into the locker room because it was closer to the main house and allowed her to respond more quickly whenever Trump called.

During the campaign, Melania Trump once stumbled upon Harp late at night inside Trump’s private quarters at Mar-a-Lago, an area typically off-limits to anyone outside the family, according to journalist Alex Isenstadt.

Harp was reportedly delivering documents to Trump that she did not want to wait until morning to hand over.

Trump’s relationship with Harp is back in the limelight after he chose to save her over his own cabinet secretaries amid an Iranian assassination threat following the NATO summit in Turkey last month.

Harp was among a handful of aides including Trump’s former caddy Dan Scavino who switched planes with him on the tarmac in Ankara. Israeli intelligence had warned of an impending Iranian attack on Air Force One.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were left on the plane with dozens of journalists.

Senator Jon Ossoff ridiculed the pair’s closeness at a rally in Georgia on Saturday.

Ossoff said the president ‘doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar.’

The latest findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal a minor dip in kindergarten vaccination rates for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Dr. Robert Malone, who once served as vice chair of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), has assured News Media that this decrease is not a cause for alarm.

In a statement released on Monday, the CDC highlighted a slight 0.1% reduction in vaccination coverage among new kindergarten students, accompanied by a rise in parents requesting vaccine exemptions for their children. Despite these figures, Dr. Malone emphasized that the decline is minimal and should not be overemphasized.

“According to the latest data from the CDC, there is a 0.1% decline compared to the previous year in vaccine acceptance among kindergartners. Across various regions of the country, we observe about a 1% variation on average. Nonetheless, this reflects a very minor deviation from the CDC’s advised vaccine schedule,” Dr. Malone, a respected physician and seasoned scientist, commented to News Media.

“Those are the facts,” he continued, “and they are not particularly alarming.”

“Even by the CDC’s own report, we still maintain a very high rate of compliance among kindergartners,” he added.

Malone also criticized the media for its coverage of the data drop.

“The narrative that this represents a clear and compelling signal of parents becoming disaffected with vaccination… whoever’s promoting that kind of messaging, it’s not in the data,” he added.

Malone specifically cited CNBC’s coverage and its mention of an ongoing measles outbreak in the U.S., stressing that the U.S. is not an outlier.

“Media outlets like CNBC have highlighted that we are in the middle of a historic measles outbreak. However, context is critical: this outbreak is not restricted to the United States. It is occurring worldwide, including in Canada and across many nations that have not experienced this level of vaccine controversy or hesitancy,” he told News Media.

He also added that vaccination is still the best protection against contracting measles.

“Regarding the overall picture: measles cases are on the rise globally, and vaccination remains the most effective protection against infection. However, does this new kindergarten data represent a major threat? Absolutely not,” he stated to News Media.

Malone, who was a vocal critic of vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic, did pin some blame on falling trust in the scientific establishment for the slight downtick in inoculations.

“Does it represent a potential signal that a certain part of the population, very small, is growing in its skepticism of the benefits of childhood vaccination? I would say, yeah, that is that signal,” he told News Media.

Still, despite growing mistrust, vaccination rates remain strong, Malone argued.

“I think we can all agree [there were] failures in accurate communication by the government during COVID. And certainly they’re highlighted in the recent Tony Fauci hearings and the various disclosures coming out of the Senate,” Malone told News Media.

“Despite all of that, despite all the controversy around the potential role, the hypothesized role of childhood vaccine schedules being linked in some way to autism, we still have very robust year-in, year-out uptake of vaccines in kindergarten ages,” Malone told News Media.

“The takeaway is simple: keep calm and carry on. There is nothing in this data to panic about,” Malone concluded.

Daniel Faalele’s brief stint with the Giants has come to an end almost before it began.

In a move confirmed by The Post, Faalele has been traded to the Jaguars in exchange for a late-round pick in the 2027 draft.

Faalele joined the Giants on a one-year deal, reuniting with head coach John Harbaugh from their days with the Ravens. Throughout training camp, he held his position as the second-team left guard.

This trade creates space on the Giants’ 53-man roster, which could mean a lifeline for former first-round pick, Evan Neal.

The team now has three openings available for Neal, along with Aaron Stinnie, Bryan Hudson, and Lucas Patrick.

More to come on this developing story…

The Daily Mail has uncovered that Hayden Panettiere had romantic ties to the Hickerson brothers—Brian and Zach—both of whom were reportedly at the scene following her suspected overdose.

The revelation comes amidst new exclusive photos capturing Zach Hickerson, 38, seen publicly for the first time after the tragic and unexpected passing of the actress on Tuesday.

Zach chose not to provide a comment to the Daily Mail when asked, following the emergence of a police report indicating that he, along with his brother Brian, 37—Panettiere’s intermittent partner—were present when she was discovered unresponsive at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, last Sunday.

The relationship between Panettiere, 36, and realtor Brian was known to be particularly volatile, characterized by numerous incidents of domestic violence over the years.

However, in an exclusive detail revealed by the Daily Mail, it appears that the Heroes star had also been romantically involved with Zach, a pastor, during a period when Brian was incarcerated for an assault on her back in 2019.

The two were seen strolling in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood in September that year, with a witness saying, ‘They looked very comfortable. Like a real couple.’  

That might explain why he cut such a haunted figure when the Daily Mail approached him for comment at his home in Greenville, South Carolina.

Zach, a pastor and founder of an independent church in Nashville, was dressed entirely in black with dark circles visible under his eyes, suggesting a sleepless night.

‘No comment, bro, and with no offense to you and what you’re trying to do, this is private property,’ he told our reporter.

‘Please respect our privacy. I’m not going to answer anything that you ask me.

‘I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t mind just leaving us alone. I know you’re just doing your job.’

It was Zach who arrived at the rental property to find Panettiere unresponsive on a living room armchair around 1.30pm, while Brian was asleep in a bedroom, TMZ reported Tuesday. 

Both Zach and Brian called 911 when they failed to wake Hayden up. EMS teams ‘worked on her’ for nearly an hour before she was formally declared dead in front of the brothers, according to the police report. 

A heavily redacted police report obtained by the Daily Mail shows first responders arrived at the luxury Judson Mill Lofts complex within minutes of a 911 call made by an ‘acquaintance.’

According to the incident summary, Zach was ‘very emotional’ as first responders tried to save mom-of-one Panettiere’s life.

Brian was stoic and did not become ‘visibly emotional’ until after Panettiere was pronounced dead from a suspected cardiac arrest.

He allegedly showed police a ‘bag of medication’ that the actress had been taking at the time of her death, kept inside the apartment complex where she was temporarily staying. 

A dispatcher in audio of the emergency call could be heard saying Panettiere had suffered a suspected overdose, and sources told TMZ that Narcan – a nasal medication used to treat an opioid overdose – was also found on a mattress at the property. 

A coroner’s report said ‘Panettiere was found unresponsive inside the residence, where she had been temporarily staying’ and had no signs of trauma to her body. A full cause of death remains pending.

The apparent dalliance between Panettiere and Zach took place after Brian was locked up for domestic abuse in 2019. It is unclear when that relationship ended.

Panettiere first began dating the younger Hickerson in 2018, however their on-off relationship became tumultuous as he was arrested several times on domestic violence charges. 

But since then, and despite another alleged domestic violence incident in 2020, Brian and Panettiere had been going strong, with the pair laughing at reports that they had split – despite keeping their love low-key. 

The duo’s last public sighting was as recently as March, when they were pictured at an LA airport together. At the time, Panettiere was using crutches to walk, insisting she was dealing with pinched nerves in her lower back.

Panettiere is said to have kept their apparent reconciliation under wraps. 

Panettiere’s mother broke her silence on her daughter’s death Tuesday and admitted the family had long wanted Brian out of the actress’s life. 

Lesley Vogel told NBC News: ‘This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death and that was Brian Hickerson.’

‘I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry – it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path.’

The Daily Mail has also since learned that Brian had filed a petition with the Los Angeles County Superior Court to expunge his criminal record of domestic abuse charges involving the actress, about a month before her untimely death. 

According to a minute order filed on August 13 and reviewed by the Daily Mail, Judge Olivia Rosales denied the request just three days before Panettiere’s tragic passing. 

Brian was charged in July 2020 with four domestic assault felonies, one misdemeanor count of battery, two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one felony count of dissuading a witness from prosecuting a crime.

The charges covered the period from May 2019 to July 2020.

In April 2021, he accepted a plea deal, pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend.

The remaining six counts were dismissed.

He was sentenced to 45 days in jail and four years’ probation, plus $500 in fines and mandatory domestic violence classes. In May 2021, he surrendered to serve his sentence, spending 13 days behind bars.

Under his probation terms, Brian was ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings ‘at the minimum rate of one per week,’ according to court records; he also had to complete a series of anger management sessions.

In her memoir, titled This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere alleged that Brian once beat her so severely that she had to remain in her house for weeks to keep her injuries from the public. 

She said she tried to keep the alleged abuse from the police because she feared the public would find out, and described her relationship as a ‘very dark and complicated time in my life.’

In one incident, Brian was arrested in May 2019, and court records show he was charged with one count of injuring a spouse or girlfriend.

Panettiere’s relationship with Brian appeared to end in 2020, and in July of that year she filed for a restraining order against him. The outcome of her request is not stated in court records. 

Panettiere also spoke about giving up custody of her daughter while struggling with addiction in one of her final interviews before her death.

While battling substance addiction issues, in 2018 the actress made the decision to sign over custody of her daughter to Klitschko, who was not living in the same country as Panettiere at the time.

She said, ‘It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make.’

Brian is yet to comment on Panettiere’s death but Wladimir Klitschko – the actress’s former fiancé and the father of her daughter Kaya – paid an emotional tribute to his ex early on Tuesday morning.

In a statement posted to Instagram, the 50-year-old former boxer wrote: ‘Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief.

‘The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon. Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya. 

‘She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives.’ 

Klitschko continued: ‘To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was. 

‘I extend my deepest condolences to Hayden’s parents, her friends, and her fans, who are also grieving today. Young and talented people like Hayden should not leave this world so soon. 

‘I ask everyone to please respect our family’s feelings and privacy during this incredibly difficult time. For now, this is all I wish to say. 

‘Thank you to everyone who is supporting my family and expressing their sincere condolences. Rest easy, Hayden. May you find eternal peace. #WeLoveYouHayden.’

Brian Hickerson did not respond when the Daily Mail repeatedly reached out for comment.