Bernard Tomic has been suspended from Australia's opening Davis Cup tie in Taiwan in 2013, the Melbourne Agereports. The newspaper also alleged that Tomic's support funding could also be cut by Tennis Australia for the start of 2013.
Tennis Australia and Davis Cup captain Patrick Rafter have increasingly grown frustrated with the talented 20-year-old’s propensity for getting involved in off-court controversies, as well as his sometimes-poor attitude when he’s competing.
"Pat has made the decision early that for the first tie next year Bernard will not be selected,'' Tennis Australia director of tennis Craig Tiley told the <em>Age</em>. “As a team, we just felt that part of the commitment that we make to athletes and athletes make to the sport is they always put 100 percent commitment and effort in competing for their country….it's not one specific incident, just an aggregation of his approach to the game. We just felt that this decision should provide additional motivation every time [Tomic] walks on the court.”
The <em>Age</em> also reports that during Monday night's Newcombe Medal dinner, Tomic's name was not mentioned once, even though he was Australia's top-ranked man until late October.
''Hopefully he trusts that there are some people in his corner that have experience and knowledge who want the best for him - like Pat - and that he will trust them. And sometimes some tough love - if that's what they're applying - is not a bad thing,” said Jason Stoltenberg, who coaches Lleyton Hewitt. ''I definitely support Pat. He's in the inner circle, so he's in a position to impact the culture and I think he's been doing a pretty good job.''
Last month, Tomic got into a fight with one of his friends in a penthouse jacuzzi, where police were called. He has also publicly argued with police over traffic incidents. The world No. 52 has admitted that he hasn't given 100 percent effort in some matches this year.