Australia's Bernard Tomic has pulled out of next week's Rome Masters as his father fights an assault charge in a Spanish court. Tomic, the world number 53, was missing from Saturday's draw for the crucial French Open warm-up which starts on Monday in the Italian capital. On Tuesday, John Tomic is due to appear again at a Madrid court facing charges of assaulting his son's practice partner in the Spanish capital last week.

The father of Australia's top-ranked tennis player Bernard Tomic was due to appear in court in Madrid on Monday, charged with an assault that broke the nose of his son's training partner, police said. John Tomic is accused of attacking Thomas Drouet and breaking his nose in an assault in an avenue near the hotel where players competing in the Madrid Open were staying, a police spokesman said.

The father of Australia's top-rated tennis player Bernard Tomic could face charges over an incident in Madrid, Tennis Australia said on Monday, amid reports he was involved in an allegedly assault. Todd Woodbridge, the head of men's tennis for TA, confirmed reports that John Tomic was involved in an incident but said the details were as yet unclear. "We're still trying to ascertain if or what charges have been laid," Woodbridge told local radio, without commenting on Australian reports that Tomic was detained for allegedly striking his son's hitting partner, Thomas Drouet.

Bernard Tomic quickly put aside a 6-3, 6-1 loss on Saturday to second seed Andy Murray at the ATP Miami Masters as the excitement of a Davis Cup return builds for the Australian number one. Tomic, ranked 45th, was unable to maintain early momentum against Murray in the heat of a steamy Florida afternoon, blaming exposure to too much air-conditioning for a troublesome virus.