Meeting with TA would be pointless: Tomic

Bernard Tomic isn’t ready to make peace with Tennis Australia just yet, knocking back the governing body’s invitation for a meeting until his demands are met.

TA president Steve Healy reached out to the controversial tennis star this week to “clear the air” over the funding issues he raised during his post-Wimbledon tirade that got him axed from the Davis Cup team.

Healy’s olive branch – a bid to get Tomic back on-side for September’s Davis Cup semi-final – also came after the 22-year-old’s arrest in Miami for failing to follow police orders to quieten down his penthouse party.

But Tomic shot back on Thursday that a meeting would be pointless because he stands by the verbal pasting he gave Healy and other TA officials including Pat Rafter and CEO Craig Tiley following his Wimbledon exit.

“Until I am satisfied TA is committed to funding the development of junior Australian talent, including my sister Sara, on a non-discriminatory basis, I do not believe there is any point in meeting,” Tomic told News Corp Australia from Colombia, where he is attempting to defend his Claro Open ATP title.

“I am always ready, willing and able to play for Australia. It is my honour and privilege to do so.

“Current TA administrators sacked me from the Davis Cup for comments I made at Wimbledon. I stand by those comments.”

Tomic missed Australia’s Davis Cup quarter-final win in Darwin last week after being kicked off the team over his “unacceptable” criticisms.

Among other claims, he accused the governing body of abandoning him after he underwent double hip surgery last year and said Rafter, TA’s director of player performance, was merely a “mask” for Tiley and had no idea how to control the budget for player funding.

Tomic insisted he won’t be silenced and told his fans not to lose faith in him, adding “I am OK and strong” and “I have not hit rock bottom”.

Earlier in the week, Healy was keen to try to resolve Tomic’s issues with TA.

“We want to offer Bernard the opportunity to raise the issues he has raised, so we can address those with him,” Healy said on Tuesday.

“We think the criticisms are unjustified – he needs to hear that. He needs to get some detail, and we want to bring him back into the fold.”

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