"Me and De Minaur have a very special relationship" - Nick Kyrgios downplays reports of a feud with Aussie teammate Alex De Minaur

Nick Kyrgios insists he has no issue with Alex De Minaur after reports of a feud between the pair. They were said to have fallen out - with De Minaur unhappy with his team-mate’s late withdrawal from Australia’s United Cup team.

However, Kyrgios - who skipped the event in an attempt to be fit for the Australian Open, which he also missed - says De Minaur is one of his “close mates”.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, the World No.21 said, “Me and Demon (De Minaur) have a very special relationship. 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.”

“Me and Demon have a great relationship. 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,” Kyrgios said.

Despite his injury issues, and the risk of missing the Melbourne Grand Slam, Kyrgios took part in an exhibition match alongside Novak Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena in the build-up to the tournament.

This decision was heavily criticised by former Australian player Pat Cash, who questioned Tennis Australia for putting on the charity event.

Kyrgios has responded to this criticism, saying: “Everyone has their two cents. Everyone will kind of speculate or assume how I'm feeling. Maybe just next time appreciate a bit more understanding that there could be something going on. I feel like it's been like that for the last five or six years of my career.

"There have always been a lot of past players or Australians giving their two cents about how I go about things. All I take away from it is that three days ago I was able to fill a stadium with Novak and raise a quarter-of-a-million dollars for charity,” he said.