Cruz Hewitt is surrounding himself with some of the game's best in preparation for the Australia Open, but his latest hitting partner has gained the attention of a fellow Aussie.
The 16-year-old took to the court at Rod Laver Arena alongside world No.1 Jannik Sinner to undergo a training session ahead of Australian Open qualification.
Hewitt looked elated to be hitting with the Italian star, but he may have rocked his relationship with Nick Kyrgios in the process.
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Jannik Sinner of Italy and Cruz Hewitt of Australia shake hands following a practice session. Getty
Sinner will be looking to defend his title at Melbourne Park after an impressive run of success throughout the last season.
But the 23-year-old's success did not come without controversy, having registered two positive doping tests, sparking heavy criticism from Kyrgios in recent months.
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A vocal critic of the doping saga, Kyrgios "jokingly" made his feelings known in the comment section of Hewitt's practice post.
"Love ya Cruz but this is wild," Kyrgios commented.
"Cooked post …. thought we were boys," he added with a heartbroken emoji.
The comments did not take long to gain attraction as the tennis world hit back at the actions of Kyrgios.
"Cruz Hewitt posts picture of him training with Jannik Sinner…. Nick Kyrgios immediately spams pit with disparaging comments and needle emojis," tennis reporter Bastien Fachan wrote on X.
"This is way over the line. It's time the tennis world calls out his harassment campaign."
Kyrgios responded to a fans comment that criticised his behaviour, writing: "It's a joke mateeeee hahaha."
Sinner later shared Hewitt's post and commented: "Thanks for joining, good hit!"
The comments come just days after Kyrgios made his highly-anticipated return to the professional circuit at the Brisbane International.
He teamed up Novak Djokovic and won one doubles match before suffering a second round defeat, while his singles campaign ended in a thriller first round battle.
Hewitt will return to action in pursuit of making the main draw for the Australian Open next week.