Bernard Tomic has been fined $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct, stemming from his foul-mouthed interaction with a heckler during his first-round loss at the US Open.
The fine is reportedly the largest ever issued at the US Open.
Tomic, who insisted the spectator had been baiting him throughout the match, was picked up by the Grandstand microphones retaliating with: “I’ll put my balls in your mouth,” and “I’ll give you some money to make you feel good.”
Tomic didn’t go into specifics about what pushed him over the edge, except to explain the heckler was “saying some negative stuff” in his native Serbian-Croatian tongue.
“The microphones didn’t pick that up. But I obviously caught the blame for that,” he told reporters after the match.
Tomic’s manager, David Drysdale, went into a bit more detail.
“The guy was at him all the way through the first set, calling Bernie a p—y and telling Bernie to go and have a cry with his little p—y girlfriend,” Drysdale told reporters. “No one should have to cop that.”
Flustered and distracted, the 19th-ranked Aussie lost the match 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (0) to unseeded Damir Dzumhur.
