Kyrgios withdraws at the last moment from the Tennis United Cup

Australia (Reuters)
Nick Kyrgios’ last-minute withdrawal from the inaugural Tennis United Cup took the Australian team by surprise, as the rest of the players only learned of his decision minutes before the tournament’s pre-tournament press conference.
Kyrgios, ranked 22 in the world and who reached the final of Wimbledon this year, was scheduled to lead the Australian team in the joint championship between the professional and professional federations, which will be hosted by the cities of Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, and will give its participants points in the classification, in addition to prize money of $ 15 million.
Organizers said the 27-year-old, who was due to take on Briton Cameron Norrie in his first singles match Thursday in the fourth set, withdrew due to injury.
“We found out 10 minutes before the press conference,” Australian captain Sam Stosser told reporters. It is new news for us, but we will continue our preparations.
Kyrgios, who withdrew from Australia’s Davis Cup team this year, later posted a video on Instagram of himself soaking up the sun at a coastal spot, saying, “Beautiful day.”
Alex de Minaur, who would become the first man for the Australian team, declined to comment on Kyrgios’ withdrawal, saying he would prefer to focus on the tournament.
He said, “I think it would be great if we only talked about this great group of players. We all came here and we are happy to represent our country in the new United Cup tournament.”
Australia will also face the Spanish team led by Rafael Nadal in Group D.