Wimbledon quarter-finalist thrown out of match after threatening star in locker room | Tennis | Sport

Bernard Tomic was ejected from the Santo Domingo Challenger final after reportedly heckling and threatening a fellow player. The former Wimbledon quarter-finalist was not playing in the match but watched from the stands as Damir Dzumhur beat Andres Andrade.

Tomic repeatedly heckled Andrade, who beat him in the quarter-finals, and was eventually kicked out by security after the crowd began to protest his behaviour. Luis Fernando Amador, one of Andrade’s close friends, later offered an explanation for the lack of respect on display.

Amador said that Tomic was frustrated after his quarter-final defeat to Andrade and insulted him after returning to the locker room. He claimed that Tomic took a condescending swipe at Andrade before threatening to turn up to his next match with a large group of associates.

Speaking on radio show KC Tenis, Amador said: “I met Andy after the match and he said: ‘Tomic is crazy. In the locker room he started insulting me and saying worse things than what he said on the court’.

“After the match, Tomic began to insult him in English and told Andy: ‘You’re a cheater, you’re a bad person. Now that you’re into the semi-finals you’re going to have seven thousand dollars. I have 700 thousand’. Then he warned that he was going to arrive at the next match with 30 people.”

Tomic wore sunglasses and a cap to disguise his identity while moving around the venue to heckle Andrade during the match. He was seen pleading his innocence to a member of the security team before being ejected from the stadium.

The heckling incident was the latest in a string of bizarre episodes involving Tomic. Earlier this year, he retired mid-match after getting into an argument with his girlfriend, who was present in the stands to watch him play.

After losing the first set of his match against Yuta Shimizu, Tomic complained that he was feeling unwell. He began to argue with his girlfriend over when she had tested positive for COVID-19 before allegedly testing positive for the virus himself.

The commentator described the incident as ‘uncomfortable’ to witness, saying: “Bernard and his girlfriend just continuing to argue. The long and short of it, Bernie saying: ‘You tested positive for Covid today’. His girlfriend saying: ‘No, that was two weeks ago’.

“I did not anticipate having to commentate on a couple’s quarrel but here we are. Either way, uncomfortable for all the fans here, who are just wanting to see a little bit of tennis tonight, but I don’t know if they’re going to get it.”