Bad boy Tomic at it again

– Fiery Australian star Bernard Tomic (above) was at the centre of a foul-mouthed US Open controversy on Tuesday when he became embroiled in a lewd exchange with a heckler.

The 23-year-old slumped to a 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/0) loss to Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia on the old Grandstand court. But before he lost the first round match, he also spectacularly misplaced his composure, angrily hitting back at a spectator he accused of deliberately trying to get under his skin.

Courtside microphones picked up Tomic telling the fan: “I will put my balls in your mouth” followed moments later by “I will give you some money to make you feel good”.

Tomic apologised for the incident, suggesting his Croatian roots may have been a factor in the clash against his Bosnian opponent.

“I apologised for what I said. I think when the guy left after the first set, the crowd got happy because he was a bit annoying,” said Tomic who was unable to recall what was said to him. “He was just sort of saying negative stuff. I didn’t know who it was because I was just focusing on the court.

“It was tough to figure out in the background. It’s passed and I don’t really care who this guy is. He definitely baited me.

“I had problems on the other end, as well, with a few people in the corner. They were saying some negative stuff to me, in my language of Serbian-Croatian.”

Tuesday’s controversy was the latest to hit Tomic.

At Wimbledon, he was forced to apologise for using the word “retard” in a press conference, while in Madrid he turned his racquet the wrong way to face a match point against Fabio Fognini. – AFP

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