Insisting there's no bad blood, Nick Kyrgios says he and Bernard Tomic "have bigger fish to fry" this summer rather than worrying about gaining personal bragging rights in their much-hyped showdown at the Kooyong Classic.
Australia's two tennis rebels will square off for the first time on Wednesday, almost three years after Tomic accused Kyrgios of faking illness to skip a crucial Davis Cup tie against the United States at the very same venue.
After both boycotted the 2016 Rio Olympics, Kyrgios hit back, claiming Tomic had "lost his way" and said it was unfair to lump he and his one-time grand slam doubles partner in the same boat when comparing Australian tennis's two most polarising figures.
Unknown to most, though, Kyrgios and Tomic have since buried the hatchet and practised together at grand slams.
The 2019 Kooyong Classic will be broadcast LIVE, FREE and in HD on SBS and streamed live online via SBS On Demand / SBS Sport websites from 11am to 4pm, January 8-10.
Kyrgios said the spicy build-up to the pair's first-ever clash was "just typical media doing their thing".
"I'm looking forward to seeing him and catching up with him and playing against him," Kyrgios told AAP after topping Rafael Nadal in Monday night's Fast4 exhibition event in Sydney.
"We're fine. I don't have any bad blood with him at all. It's another chance to get some preparation before the Oz Open.
"Obviously I was pretty excited when I got drawn against him - we're good mates so to get out there, I know what he's going to bring, it's going to be fun.
"It's going to be laid back so, yeah, it's perfect preparation for me."
But with Tomic playing his first match in three months and Kyrgios also eager for court time after ending his 2018 season early and then losing in the second round last week in Brisbane, there will be a serious side.
"Of course. There's no doubt both of us want to win," Kyrgios said.
"But, again, we both know it's just preparation and we've got bigger fish to fry in a couple of days.
"So I'm going to go out there, just fine-tune my game, serve, look to be aggressive on my first ball and I'm sure he's going to look to get out there and want to get some match practice."
Despite the relatively relaxed, pressure-free nature of Kyrgios's victory over Nadal in the shortened format, the mercurial Canberran drew confidence out of his win a week out from the season's first major.
"I beat him when I was 19 so I know that I'm capable of beating the 'big four'. I've proven I've been able to win the big matches," Kyrgios said.
"It's more about the day-to-day consistency and showing up every day.
"That's more of a challenge for me."
