Rather than letting the Australian Olympic committee tell him that he will be sent to the summer Olympics in Rio, Bernard Tomic has chosen not to participate in the games. The Australian number two, who received a warning from his home nation’s Olympic committee following an incident last week at the Madrid Open, has decided to play a small event in Mexico rather than potentially represent his country in Rio.
No Olympics for Tomic
In a statement, the 23-year-old did not mention his current conflict with the Australian Olympic committee, instead choosing to highlight his previous experience representing his country and how scheduling affected the decision.
"I have made the difficult decision to not play with the Australian tennis team as they pursue an Olympic medal in Rio. I have always proudly represented my country in Davis Cup and given my all when wearing the green and gold. But on the basis of my extremely busy playing schedule and my own personal circumstances, I am regrettably unable to commit to this year's tournament. I make this decision based on what is best for my tennis career."
Instead of going to Rio, Tomic will instead participate in the Abierto Mexicano Los Cabos.
Out on his own terms
Tomic’s status for the Olympics was already in question after he received a warning from the Australian Olympic committee last week. The warning came in response to his tanking at the end of his first round loss in Madrid. Tomic followed up the incident my suggesting the fact that he is worth ten million dollars justified him not needing to try in matches.
The Australian number two was warned that should his attitude not improve, he would not be selected for the Olympic team. Tomic has always been known for not getting along with officials from his home nation. He has decided that behaving and cleaning up his attitude is more important than getting to play for his country in the Olympics, an event that only takes place every four years.