Nick Kyrgios swipes at critics ahead of tennis Netflix series after United Cup withdrawal

Kyrgios was set to start his Australian season on Thursday night, but he withdrew from the inaugural United Cup less than 24 hours before he was set to take the court in Sydney.

The Canberran is recovering from an ankle injury and opted out of the event to give himself the best possible chance to be a contender at the Australian Open.

The timing of his withdrawal prompted criticism and questions about his commitment to Australia after he bypassed the Davis Cup campaign last month.

Kyrgios hit back on Thursday morning, tweeting: "Haha so after all this, all the media, journalism saying how bad I am for the sport, disrespecting the game & just a pure villain, I am going to be the number 1 episode on Netflix.

"To grow our fan base, basically trying to put tennis on the map again. And essentially putting more money in everyone's pockets that's involved with tennis, you all look ridiculous now.

"Your apology should be as loud as your disrespect was."

Kyrgios has a love-hate relationship with the media and tennis fans. He draws attention with every move off the court, and has emerged as the ultimate entertainer on the court.

He showed this year he can deliver on his potential, teaming up with Thanasi Kokkinakis to win the Australian Open double title and then making a scintillating run to the Wimbledon final.

It was his best year of results and he jumped to No. 22 in the rankings despite picking and choosing which tournaments he played in.

He will be one of the biggest drawcards at the Australian Open, which starts on January 16, with hopes he can recapture his Wimbledon form and set up a rematch with Novak Djokovic in the final.

Kyrgios is also set to play in the second week of the Adelaide International from January 9, but it's unclear if he will be fit to play or he will prioritise recovery over match fitness.

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Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley defended Kyrgios' United Cup withdrawal on Thursday morning.

"I can't talk to the posting [on social media] but I can say most athletes - and in this case the situation with Nick - will give themselves the best possible opportunity to compete and will make the decision as late as they possibly can," Tiley said on Channel Nine.

"It is more difficult when you're playing the United Cup, it is a team competition, it does impact others, but it is fairly common what the athletes do when preparing for a major event.

"We have quite a few lead-in events ... there will be probably other athletes in a similar position to what Nick has been in.

"We have spoken to his team and they gave us indication that they've made this decision and he's made this decision to give himself maximum opportunity to be in the best possible shape for the Australian Open and recover from his ankle injury.

"We are confident that he will be fine and looking forward to playing the Australian Open."