But Daley's father has shot back, warning the older diver: "If he upsets Tom, he'll have me to deal with.'
The teen has been the subject of adulation in UK but his partner Blake Aldridge blamed him for costing them any chance of a medal, suggesting nerves got the better of him after the pair had finished eighth in the Men's Synchronised 10m platform dive.
'Tom was very, very nervous, more than ever before, and I think he really struggled to get through the competition,' Alrdrige told the Daily Mail.
'And for me to be his partner, it was hard for me to get up there and ease him into his competition.
Unfortunately, it's a partnership and you both have to be on top of your game. I was on top of my game but Tom was nowhere near the top of his game.
'I outdived Tom and that's not normally something that happens. It's because Tom had a lot more pressure on him than me.'
Daley himself was reportedly incensed Aldridge tried to phone his mother just before their final dive, The Telegraph reported..
"I was trying to calm him down but he had a pop at me before the last dive," Aldridge said.
"When we were sitting down I saw my mum in the audience and I asked her to give me a call but Tom went to me, 'What are you on the phone for? We're in a competition and we've got another dive to do."''
Daley admitted he was not at his best.
"I didn't dive very well as you could probably tell. But it was a great experience," Daley said, still smiling despite the disappointment. "I had so much fun out there and that's all you could ask for, getting the experience of it. And now I've already got some experience looking ahead to 2012, like I've always said."
Daley is already being hyped as one of Britain's top medal hopes for the London Games in four years. He has also been under an intense media spotlight for these games.
"I tried not to make it feel different, but there was lots of pressure on me and I was very nervous," the schoolboy said. "I was really excited with doing it and I just couldn't wait to get out there."
Daley has one more event in these games, the 10-metre individual platform on August 22 and 23.
"I've got a few cobwebs out of the way, so I'm going to go into the individual and try to make up for what I did today," he said. "Now that I know what the Olympic Games is going to feel like I can compete like it's a normal competition."
Daley and Aldridge started well, tying for third after the first round, but the pair fell out of synch on their third dive and dropped out of contention. - ODT staff
