Nick Kyrgios believes Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt threw him under the bus by expressing frustrations with the way he communicated his late withdrawal from the United Cup.
Citing an ankle injury, Kyrgios pulled out of the new mixed-gender team tournament on the day before it began, thrusting Alex de Minaur into the top-seeded match-ups and opening up an opportunity for Jason Kubler.
The impact of Kyrgios's scratching was laid bare on Thursday night, when de Minaur, who had been preparing to face right-handed Dan Evans, was defeated by left-handed world No.14 Cameron Norrie in straight sets.
