Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley has claimed that Bernard Tomic is sabotaging the culture of tennis in the latest of outbursts involving Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt.
The saga started when after his first round loss at the Australian Open, Bernard Tomic criticised Lleyton Hewitt as the Australian Davis Cup suggesting that nobody likes him.
Also the controversial star claimed that Hewitt has preferences and Tennis Australia gives wildcards to those who are under Hewitt’s mentor wing instead of the likes of Kyrgios and Kokkinakis.
In response Hewitt then claimed that he had received blackmail and physical threats from Tomic as he hasn’t spoken to him since 2016.
“The threats I’ve received for me and my family, that I’ve had for a year and half now, I don’t think anyone would reach out to him again to a person who speaks like that,” Hewitt claimed.
Now Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley has backed Australia’s Davis Cup captain saying that Tomic is sabotaging the culture in tennis, “Lleyton is right to say Bernard will not be considered for Davis Cup,” Tiley explained in a lengthy statement.
“Bernard does not meet the standards of behaviour and commitment to himself, the team or the sport. Now, he is deliberately trying to damage that culture, and not for the first time.”
The Australian tennis chief also responded to claims made by Bernard’s father John Tomic that Bernard was pressured by Hewitt in 2010 to reveal who in Tennis Australia was against him.
John Tomic is set to sue Hewitt for these claims but Tiley has denied these claims and has said he is disappointed in the duo, “In regards to an alleged incident in 2010, we are not aware of any formal complaint lodged by either John or Bernard,” Tiley said.
“Both Bernard and John have enjoyed a lot of support since in many areas of their lives, including a long and sustained period of personal commitment and wholehearted effort from Lleyton Hewitt as Davis Cup captain. Our organisation remains deeply disappointed with the ongoing disrespect from Bernard and his father.”
Bernard and John Tomic are set to respond on Sunday night in an interview with Channel nine, here is a trailer from the explosive programme:
Bernard Tomic – tennis bad boy or victim? His explosive interview in full this Sunday only on #60Mins. pic.twitter.com/B3SOsDwbL2
— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) January 31, 2019
