Alex de Minaur has been caught up in awkward scenes at a pre-Australian Open press conference, with the Aussie tennis star all-but gagged from talking about countryman Nick Kyrgios amid speculation of a rift.
The world No. 24 on Friday surprised a group of aspiring tennis stars in Carlton before fronting the media at a sponsors media call ahead of next week’s Australian Open.
But de Minaur was stopped from answering questions about Kyrgios – sparking fears of a feud between Australia’s top two male players.
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Asked by 9 News Melbourne reporter Braden Ingram what his relationship with Kyrgios was like at the moment, de Minaur didn’t get to answer before a media advisor promptly interjected, saying: “Hey guys let’s stop the Nick questions. If we don’t have anything else about the tournament, we might wrap up.
“Guys let’s avoid Nick questions if you could just stay focused on the tournament.”
7 News Melbourne reporter Natalie Yoannidis found a way for a de Minaur answer about Kyrgios to slip through.
Kyrgios feeling heightened AO pressure | 02:05
“It is about the tournament. Have you spoken to Nick in the lead-up to the tournament? Obviously you guys are teammates,” Yoannidis asked.
A hesitant de Minaur responded: “No we haven’t spoken.”
The interest in the duo’s relationship comes after Kyrgios recently pulled out of Australia’s United Cup campaign due to an ankle injury – a move that caught the Aussie team off-guard due to a lack of communication.
Both de Minaur and Lleyton Hewitt last year also said they’d tried to bring Kyrgios back into the Davis Cup fold.
Instead, de Minaur on Friday was more willing to discuss his desire to break into the world’s top 10 this year.
The 23-year-old will enter next week’s Open with ample confidence after recent wins over Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem.
“That (top 10) is ultimately the goal. I’m not satisfied where I am right now,” he said.
De Minaur will play Taiwanese qualifier Hsu Yu-hsiou in the first round of the open. Then a tricky path looms, including a potential fourth-round clash with Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic.
“Those are the types of matches I want to be playing,” he said. “I’ll do my best to get to that position and hopefully give myself a good chance to play against the best players in the world.
“After getting a couple of those breakthrough wins, it’s very much possible and doable and I know that I can take it to these top guys.”
