Australian tennis bad boy Bernard Tomic is in hot water again after being banned from a tournament for allegedly taunting a bitter rival from the stands.
The former world number 17 attended the ATP Challenger final in the Dominican Republic, cheering on his good friend Damir Dzumhur against Ecuadorian Andrés Andrade.
The Ecuadorian beat Tomic in the quarter-finals in straight sets last week, and the Australian reportedly refused to shake his opponent’s hand at the net after the match.
Tomic attended Sunday night’s undercover final and reportedly switched seats to annoy and distract Andrade on court.
A video emerged showing tournament officials ordering Tomic to leave the stadium early in the second set, with the score tied 1-1 after Dzumhur won the first set.
Wearing sunglasses and a hat, Tomic unsuccessfully attempted to plead his case while sitting in the front row.
The stunned crowd watched and could be heard applauding as Tomic was led away from the venue surrounded by security.
Earlier in the match, Tomic was also involved when Andrade argued with the referee and a match supervisor.
Bernard Tomic (pictured with his girlfriend Keeley) is back in the news after…
The controversy overshadowed Dzumhur’s tournament victory in which she beat Andrade in straight sets.
Tomic’s bizarre actions left tennis experts and fans in shock.
“I have no words,” tweeted commentator José Morgado.
One fan added: “This is crazy. Tomic lost to Andrade in the quarter-finals and got a bit cheeky. Andrade made it to the final and Bernard Tomic infiltrated the crowd to taunt him and cheer him on.”
Some fans called for Tomic to be sanctioned.
“What is the appropriate sentence for this? Surely it goes beyond mandatory therapy at this stage of his career,” wrote one.
The crowd erupted when Tomic (wearing a cap and blue shirt) was ejected from the ATP Challenger final in the Dominican Republic.
The bad boy of Australian tennis is currently ranked 247 in the world.
Tomic has been struggling on the Challengers circuit for years to resurrect his flagging tennis career.
Tomic, once ranked 17th in the world, has not been in the top 100 since August 2019 and has fallen to as low as world No. 825 in 2022.
The 31-year-old has been climbing the rankings and is currently ranked 247th in the world.
In June, he pulled out mid-match at an ATP Challengers event after getting into a bizarre argument with his girlfriend Keely Hannah while they were on court.