AUSTRALIA’S TENNIS BAD BOYS – OBSTREPEROUS BERNIE AND RECALCITRANT NICK
Jan 26 2012 – Bernard Tomic’s run-ins with the law began on Australia Day in 2012 when he was fined three times for traffic infringements while driving his orange V8 BMW M3 on the Gold Coast.
Sept 1 2012 – `Tomic the tank engine’ read the headline with John McEnroe accusing the Aussie of tanking his second round match at the US Open against Andy Roddick.
Oct 30 2012 – Tomic gets in a fight with a friend at a Surfer’s Paradise spa – police are called.
Jan 20 2013 – Tomic, not bothered by previous car-related bufoonery, loses his licence for speeding in his yellow Ferrari.
Nov 21 2013 – Tomic the `toolie’ strikes as he crashes Schoolies week and is pictured shirtless while getting a lapdance from two young women in a nightclub.
Jan 14 2014 – Tomic retires hurt from his Round of 16 Australian Open battle with Rafael Nadal after just one set, prompting Australian tennis fans to boo him.
August 2014 – Shots are fired as Australia’s then Davis Cup captain Pat Rafter implores Tomic to change his ways, saying:
“Australians are very forgiving but they won’t accept continual bad behaviour.
“I’d like to think he can admit he has been out of line in the past, and mature enough to realise that … then he can get back in the good books.”
June 30 2015 – Nick Kyrgios stages his own version of a Wimbledon sit-in during his round one win over Argentine Diego Schwartzman.
Disagreeing with a line call Kyrgios rips into umpire Mohamed Layani stating, “I’m not playing”. He then demands a rules official come onto court two:
“No, no, no. That’s not the rules. I will sit down here and wait until whenever he comes,”
July 3 2015 – Tomic slams Tennis Australia after his Wimbledon loss to Novak Djokovic, rounding on TA CEO Craig Tiley in an extraordinary rant:
“If the Australian public don’t know Pat, he’s a good actor, he’s well spoken, always prepared and knows what to say. He’s prepped by Tennis Australia to know what to say.
“He’s always ready to fire back questions that we answer to. Behind that, I think [I’m] very disappointed in Craig Tiley in Tennis Australia.
“He’s the reason the last few years [have] been up and down for me. There has been [a] lack of support towards me. There has been no respect, I think, towards me.
July 4 – Tomic is stood down from Davis Cup duties by Tennis Australia as punishment for his remarks.
July 5 – Kyrgios throws his racket into the crowd during his third round victory over Milos Raonic.
July 7 – Kyrgios is accused of tanking after appearing to give up during a lopsided second set of his Wimbledon Round of 16 clash with Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
July 12 – After Pat Rafter says Australia needs `champions the country can be proud of’ Kyrgios offers his take on Rafter via Twitter “Another negative comment out of Rafters mouth. Does this guy ever stop? #everyoneisaworkinprogress”
July 17 – Tomic arrested by police in Miami.
July 17 – Kyrgios, upon losing the third set of his Davis Cup singles match against world No.115 Aleksandr Nedovyesov of Kazakhstan, screams “I don’t want to be here”.
Kyrgios later claims he was talking about his position in the match, rather than being in Darwin, playing Davis Cup, despite a listless performance in the latter stages of the match.
