Report: Tomic, police at odds in Australia
Bernard Tomic (right) made a charge in the Aussie Open before losing to Roger Federer.
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Rising Australian tennis star Bernard Tomic was involved in a tense standoff with police at his home Thursday after they tried to pull him over for alleged traffic offenses in his AU$150,000 ($159,600) orange BMW sports car.
The Wimbledon quarterfinalist, 19, only has a provisional driver's license but was given an exemption that allows him to drive the high-powered car to and from his Gold Coast training base.
Thursday's standoff developed after Tomic came to the attention of police twice in one day, The Courier-Mail reported.
He first was stopped by officers at Broadbeach, Queensland, with his girlfriend Donay Meijer in the passenger seat, before coming to police attention again Thursday afternoon.
Police confirmed they issued him with two AU$300 fines for driving a high-powered vehicle in breach of his provisionary license exemption, suggesting they believed Tomic had strayed beyond his agreed use of the sports car.
Tomic allegedly failed to stop during a third approach to pull over and was followed home from Surfers Paradise by a patrol car.
Police reported Tomic locked himself inside his house with his family and was refusing to come out, although he briefly emerged to talk to reporters and denied any wrongdoing.
"They've given me three tickets and one officer feels like he wants to get me and it's not a good feeling," Tomic said. "It's all happened on Australia Day when I am trying to have fun with my mates."
Officers also were involved in an angry confrontation with the player's father, John Tomic, in the driveway of the home. He accused the authorities of being "un-Australian" in their pursuit of his son.
Former Gold Coast mayor and high-profile lawyer Lex Bell later arrived at the Gold Coast home to counsel the young tennis star, as police continued to wait outside the property.
"Bernard is my client. He feels he is guiltless in the whole matter," Bell said. "I am doing my best to ensure a happy outcome for him."
Two officers briefly entered the home shortly after 4:30 p.m. local time. Inspector Glenn Allen said Tomic appeared to want to lay "some sort of complaint, although the nature of it was not clear." He said the tennis star had been "understanding and reasonable" during the exchange.
Tomic previously claimed he is the victim of police harassment after being pulled over several times while driving the distinctive vehicle.
Tomic, who was named in Australia's Davis Cup squad Thursday, was knocked out in the fourth round of the Australian Open in Melbourne by his hero Roger Federer on Sunday night
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