It would appear that way after the 19-year-old lost patience with his father and tried to get him kicked out during the teenager’s loss to David Ferrer at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami at the weekend.
In the incident, captured on video, Papa John Tomic repeatedly shakes his head in disapproval as Bernard slumps to 0-30 in the fifth game of the second set.
The angry player then continually points his racquet in his father’s direction, indicating he should leave him alone.
Unbelievably, the frustrated up-and-comer then approaches the French umpire and asks his dad be removed for illegal coaching.
“He’s annoying – I know he’s my father – but he’s annoying me,” Bernard tells Cedric Mourier.
“I want him to leave but how’s that possible?”
Mourier replies: “If you tell him to leave.”
Bernard Tomic: “It’s not gonna happen. If you see him (coaching), tell him to be quiet.”
Mourier: “He (John Tomic) knows already. I caught him (coaching) already.”
Mourier then issues a code violation warning for illegal coaching, prompting Bernard to say “thanks”.
Afterwards, Bernard Tomic completely denied the incident,
“There’s no problem, I just wanted my racquets restrung,” he said. “There’s nothing in it.”
It’s not the first time John caused trouble and embarrassment for his offspring.
He had to apologise in 2009 for ordering Bernard off the court during a match with Marinko Matosevic in Perth.
Bernard was then suspended from International Tennis Federation tournaments after obeying his father’s instructions.
