LISTEN TO GRAEME AGARS TALK WITH D'ARCY AND GORAN ABOVE
Bernard Tomic's beaming smile as he walked out of his Monday night press conference perfectly summed up the toxic state of Australian tennis.
He delighted in the chaos he'd just unleashed. He relished the scrutiny he'd just put on Lleyton Hewitt's performance as Davis Cup captain with his explosive allegations of preferential treatment.
"Have fun with that guys," he said to reporters as he walked out of the room after dropping his nuclear bomb on Hewitt.
His unprovoked attack shows even when they are out of the spotlight, the Tomic-Hewitt relationship is a sick, twisted, hateful mess.
That mess has now swallowed fellow Aussie stars Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Here's how it reached breaking point.
TOMIC AND HEWITT GO FROM ALLIES TO ENEMIES
Three years ago Hewitt and Tomic couldn't have spoken more glowingly about each other and their relationship.
As Hewitt made his last outing at Wimbledon, Tomic honoured the retiring great and forecast the role he could play for Australia's next generation.
"He's a true mentor, not just to me, but to a lot of people around the world. He's changed me," Tomic said. "If he can be around us as much as he can, it's going to be huge for us the next 10 years."
Hewitt reciprocated. "I've built a pretty strong relationship with Bernie," he said. "I think I'm probably one of the closer guys that he trusts now."
Bernard Tomic dropped a bombshell after being eliminated in the first round. Photo / Getty
But the Tomic family started backing Hewitt in a corner the following year when they fell out with Tennis Australia over funding for Bernard's younger sister Sara, a fringe professional player.
Despite attempts by Hewitt to save the relationship, Tomic made himself unavailable for Davis Cup selection and split with the management company that also managed Hewitt's affairs.
This time last year Hewitt declared Tomic was "digging a hole for himself that he may not be able to get out of".
It came after the wayward star ventured to South Africa for Channel 10's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here after failing to qualify for the Australian Open.
The cord was essentially cut between him and the rest of Australian tennis — but it's only now we're seeing the damage it can create.
As reported by The Herald Sun this week, Tennis Australia lost control over Tomic when the two camps agreed Tomic would never play Davis Cup or Olympic tennis for Australia again.
Having reached a point where he can gain nothing — neither funding or wildcard boosts — from remaining on speaking terms with Tennis Australia, Tomic is free to speak his mind without fear of reprisal — and that is exactly what makes him dangerous to Aussie tennis officials.
CONTROVERSIAL DAVIS CUP SELECTIONS
Since taking over as captain in 2016, Hewitt has faced the impossible task of balancing the development of younger players while supporting the establishment of Kyrgios, Tomic and Kokkinakis when officials were already losing faith in them behind the scenes.
It has shown in Davis Cup tie selection flashpoints. Most notably, a report last week claimed Kokkinakis has been stroppy towards Hewitt since he was overlooked for lower-ranked player John Millman for a singles rubber against Belgium in Brussels, 2017.
Hewitt also chose to go with Alex de Minaur and Jordan Thompson for Australia's most recent Davis Cup tie against Austria in September.
Millman was rested for that tie after his run at the US Open. Kyrgios made himself unavailable.
Nick Kyrgios of Australia receives medical treatment in his first-round match against Milos Raonic. Photo / Getty
Tomic used those prickly selection issues to advance his war with Hewitt and Tennis Australia.
"He doesn't put the players first, from what I've heard in the past year," Tomic said.
"He doesn't put the players first. He doesn't put Nick first. He doesn't put Kokkinakis first. He always thinks of himself and it's not good.
"He's in Davis Cup...
