Melbourne, May 6: Tennis Australia says it is investigating claims that Bernard Tomic's father John has been involved in an incident with his son's hitting partner in Madrid.
John Tomic, who is Bernard Tomic's coach, was reported in the Australian media as being arrested for assaulting Thomas Drouet and will face a Madrid court on Monday.
Todd Woodbridge, the head of men's tennis for Tennis Australia, told a Melbourne radio station Monday “we're still trying to ascertain if or what charges have been laid.”
Tennis Australia later issued a statement that “obviously media reports regarding an incident in Madrid are very concerning ... we are working closely with ATP officials who are investigating the incident.”
The 20-year-old Tomic, whose short career has been filled with controversy, lost in the first round of the Madrid Open last week.
His year got off a good start with a win over No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic at the Hopman Cup and his first ATP tournament victory at the Sydney International.
However, it came at a time when he had a falling out with Davis Cup captain Pat Rafter, who suspended Tomic from playing in Australia's opening match of the year against Taiwan. Tomic has since returned to the Australian team and won two matches in Australia's second-round Asia Oceania victory over Uzbekistan in April.
In March, Tomic lost 6-3, 6-1 to Andy Murray at Miami and was jeered by spectators for his lackluster performance as his record fell to 2-15 against top 10 opponents.
Rafter had criticized Tomic when the Australian faced accusations at the U.S. Open in September that he “tanked,” or deliberately lost, a match against American Andy Roddick.
In November, Tomic was fined $1,750 and put on a 12-month good-behavior bond after facing a Gold Coast court over four driving charges resulting from twice being stopped by police in January.
In late October, police were called to a high-rise apartment building in the Australian resort city of Surfers Paradise after residents saw two men, one of them naked, wrestling and fighting in a hot tub on the balcony. One of the men was later identified as Tomic.
His current ATP ranking is 49, but he's had several mediocre results since winning in Sydney and losing in the third round to Roger Federer at the Australian Open. In addition to his first-round loss at Madrid, he lost in the second round at Barcelona and the first at Monaco.
