Nick Kyrgios’ late United Cup exit surprises Australian team-mates



Reuters

Nick Kyrgios’ late withdrawal from the opening version of the United Cup stunned his personal team-mates on Wednesday as they had been left at nighttime till minutes earlier than their pre-tournament press convention.

Kyrgios, who’s ranked No. 22 on the earth and reached this 12 months’s Wimbledon last, ought to lead Australia on the joint ATP and WTA occasion, going down in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, which presents rating factors and $15 million in prize cash.

Organizers mentioned the 27-year-old, who was resulting from play Britain’s Cameron Norrie in his first singles match in Group D on Thursday, had drawn resulting from harm.

“We actually simply came upon 10 minutes in the past. Clearly it is new to all of us and we’re simply transferring on now,” co-captain Sam Stosur advised reporters.

Kyrgios, who retired from Australia’s Davis Cup workforce earlier this 12 months, later posted a video to Instagram of himself being seen lounging within the solar in a harbor with the caption “Good day”.

Alex de Minaur, who will now be Group Australia’s primary males’s place, wished to keep away from discussing Kyrgios and concentrate on the upcoming occasion.

“I believe it will be nice if we simply talked about this nice workforce,” he mentioned. “We’re all right here, we’re all glad to be right here, we’re about to have an thrilling new occasion, one thing new for all of us – the United Cup.”

Australia additionally play Rafa Nadal’s Spain in Group D.

The match, held from Dec. 29-Jan. 8, consists of 18 international locations divided into six teams of three, with groups taking part in two males’s and two ladies’s singles matches and one combined doubles match.