Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Although Bernard Tomic insists he is now adopting a more professional attitude after his errant youth and Nick Kyrgios insists he is unjustly treated for some past indiscretions, the two controversial young Australians have been severely criticized by their nation’s golfing legend Greg Norman.

The player nicknamed ‘The Shark’ told both Channel 9 News in Australia and Brisbane Radio on 4BC that he was ‘sickened’ by the recent behavior of Tomic, who turns 23 years of age this week, and 20 year-old Kyrgios.

“I personally think it’s disgraceful,” said Norman who is a friend of Tennis Australia’s director of player development Patrick Rafter and a business partner of Roger Rasheed, the former coach of Lleyton Hewitt and most recently Grigor Dimitrov.

“It sickens me when I see that, and somebody in America or somebody else says, well you Australians are all like that guy, I say no we’re not. It’s sad to see it and it’s a poor reflection on our sport and our country.”

Controversy has dogged both players this year with Tomic criticizing Rafter and Tennis Australia before spending a night in a Miami jail while Kyrgios is currently on probation from a suspended sentence for the inappropriate comments he made to Stan Wawrinka.

Norman continued: “To be quite honest he (Kyrgios) hasn’t done anything yet either to warrant this behavior and you don’t see Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic or an Andy Murray – you don’t see those guys in the elite doing it.”

The former husband of tennis legend Chris Evert believes greater discipline should be introduced to deter Tomic and Kyrgios from transgressing again. “Slap them, slap them on the wrist really hard,” said Norman. “Hit them hard, ban them, whatever.

And Norman has offered to meet with the tennis duo in a bid to help them avoid any further trouble. “I don’t care about the individuals themselves, but when you’re carrying the Australian flag you don’t represent your country like an idiot,” he said. “You represent the country like it wants to be represented.

“I hope they both become ultra successful because at the end of the day they will be extremely humbled very very quickly, because if you become successful you cannot carry on like this.”

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.