Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has shut down any talk suggesting there's a rift between him and compatriot Alex de Minaur.
De Minaur, 23, declined to comment on Kyrgios' recent withdrawal on the eve of the inaugural United Cup and appeared frustrated when his would-be team-mate's name was brought up. He later revealed he had not spoken with his countryman in the build-up to the Australian Open, with his team intervening to block questions concerning Kyrgios at a recent promotional appearance.
A knee injury has forced Kyrgios' withdrawal from the first Grand Slam of 2023, delaying his quest for a maiden major title after a breakthrough season last year. But Kyrgios was in no mood to bad-mouth De Minaur despite any rumours of a void.
“Me and Demon [De Minaur] have a very special relationship," the crocked Canberran told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I still remember him being the orange boy in the Davis Cup team and I was the one who would hit with him when the tie was finished.”
The only professional meeting between the pair materialised at last year's Canadian Open, where Kyrgios made light work of his countryman in a straight-sets win. Both De Minaur and Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt said they tried to convince Kyrgios to join last year's Davis Cup team, which finished as runner-up to Canada in November.
“Me and Demon have a great relationship," continued Kyrgios. "He came up to me yesterday and said, 'I'm sorry for everything and I hope your body goes well.' I respect all these players, so it's not a big deal when I read about me and Demon are feuding. He's one of my close mates on tour and he always will be.”
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Fans were recently given extra insight into Kyrgios' character after the first half of tennis series 'Break Point' was released on Netflix. After reaching his first Grand Slam final in a runner-up finish to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon last year, 2023 was touted to be the biggest season of his career to date.
Kyrgios, 27, is set to remain in Melbourne until the end of this week, cheering on his fellow Australians before he flies home to Canberra for knee surgery. The French Open is still 'definitely on his calendar,' however, after he pledged to play at Roland Garros for the first time since 2017.
De Minaur, meanwhile, is through to the second round of this year's Australian Open after beating Hsu Yu-hsiou of Chinese Taipei in straight sets on Tuesday. He'll face either John Isner or Adrian Mannarino in the next stage of the tournament, with the American going a set up in that clash before the match was delayed until Wednesday.
