Unfortunately for John Tomic the only court he will see in the foreseeable future will be presided over by a judge instead of an umpire. The father and coach of Aussie tennis star Bernard Tomic has been suspended from the ATP tour until further notice for an alleged assault on his son’s hitting partner in Spain.
John Tomic appeared in a Madrid court earlier this week, accused of head-butting and breaking the nose of Bernard’s training partner Thomas Drouet. He has denied the charge, claiming self-defence and will reappear in court next week to fight the charges. Drouet also appeared in court for the hearing with a bandaged face and wearing a neck brace following the attack.
The ATP have released a statement saying : “Following last week’s incident in Madrid concerning John Tomic, and the ensuing investigation, Mr Tomic’s credential privileges have been suspended at all ATP tournaments until further notice”.
Aside from the seriousness of the allegations, the altercation throws into turmoil Tomic’s preparations for the French Open as he is now without a coach or a hitting partner. While the world No.53 has reportedly said he was not present when the alleged incident took place, he will no doubt find himself stuck in the middle of the latest controversy to plague his career.
The incident has sparked outrage amongst former players and tennis commentators, who have urged Tomic to find a new coach. After a strong start to year, winning his first ATP title in Sydney, Tomic has displayed some indifferent form of late and few would argue it might be time for a change.
Tomic is currently still in Spain preparing for the Rome Masters, after bowing out of the Madrid casino online uk Masters in the first-round to Czech veteran Radek Stepanek. If bad things really do come in threes, the 20-year-old must surely be questioning what else could go wrong?
Unfortunately it’s not the first time John Tomic has misbehaved on tour, with the father of Australia’s highest ranked tennis player having earned a reputation of being unruly towards other players, coaches, journalists and officials. There was also the occasion Bernard asked an umpire to remove his father from the arena as he was being disruptive during play.
Of course Tomic Snr is by no means the first parent to encounter the wrath of the ATP, with many parents come coaches foot-faulting when it comes to their overbearing behaviour in the past. While John Tomic’s antics may not yet put him in the leagues of the unforgettable Damir Dokic, the only heads he should be bouncing are a brand of tennis ball and we’re sure he must’ve misheard when Bernard asked for some help with his forehand smash.